


Ghosts of the Past Arise

by lily8007



Series: Looking Through Glass: DC Omegaverse [2]
Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, Red Hood: Lost Days
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Batfamily Shenanigans, F/M, Female Alpha, Male Omega, Non-Traditional Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Past Character Death, Past Child Abuse, Past Rape/Non-con, Past Violence, Recovery, discussion of past trauma
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-16
Updated: 2020-09-11
Packaged: 2020-09-14 10:47:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 108
Words: 160,999
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20273533
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lily8007/pseuds/lily8007
Summary: Sequel toA Torch in the Darkest Hour, which you should probably read before this.A simple mission to find some missing Omegas ends up opening a new chapter in the lives of Alpha Talia al Ghul, and her Omega, Jason Todd.  A figure from her past brings forth more than just long-buried and painful memories.  Then she and Jason have to confront his family to save someone they both still love despite all the pain they caused each other.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Like its predecesssor, this story deals with some very dark themes. Talia and Jason have both been abused, tortured, and killed, and this fic deals with the consequences of that trauma. They are both haunted by their pasts, and in this story some of those ghosts will come back to life ... and just maybe, everyone will be a little less haunted by the time it's over. I like a happy ending, I just have to make the characters work for it.
> 
> Despite the dark stuff, most of the characters' relationships are positive and healthy. Even the damaged relationships have a chance to make things right.
> 
> Most of the Batfamily (preboot, anyway) make an appearance here, along with a variety of rogues. Damian does NOT exist in this 'verse. At least, not yet.
> 
> This is an A/B/O fic with nonstandard dynamics; no knots, female Alphas and male Omegas are both effectively intersexed.

It had been ten years since Jay and Talia fell into bed during his heat, seven years since they killed Bane and got together on a more permanent basis. Ra’s al Ghul was no more, and the League was theirs. The mission changed; Talia was still focused on bringing about a better future, but the deaths of millions were no longer a part of that vision. Along the way, Jay did more traveling than he ever could’ve imagined when he was growing up in the Bowery. They had major compounds in London, Cairo, Hong Kong, Kyoto, and Los Angeles, plus Talia’s many smaller holdings across the globe. And she and Jay continued to pursue the kinds of people who abused Omegas.

That quest brought them back to the lands of Talia’s youth. The Levant was starkly beautiful to Jay’s eyes, its landscape beyond the cities harsh and haunting. They had passed through the area several times, and it always intrigued him. Everything from the graceful architecture all the way down to how spices were arranged for sale in the market fascinated him. It was not _ his _ world, and the sound of a muezzin’s call and the taste of sumac in a meal reminded him so daily. He loved it because it was _ Talia’s _ world. Though she had become a citizen of the entire globe and made herself fit in everywhere, this was still _ home_. Where conversations on the street were in the same language as her first words, where the smells of cooking reminded her of childhood favorite foods, where most of the people they passed had familiar profiles. 

They came to investigate a strange lack of Omegas in the area, and the first thing they found was a prevailing notion among the local Alphas that Omegas were weak, and must be claimed and protected. Talia let Jay teach them otherwise, though he stayed on full suppressants these days.

But they didn’t find many Omegas. Not in the first town, or the second, or in any of the villages. No one they asked could give any explanation for the scarcity.

Eventually they heard whispers of a place called al-Hirz, a heavily fortified city in the nearby mountains. Talia and Jay scouted it out; it was an ancient trading post, a city carved into the rock walls of a steep canyon, with a permanent spring at its center. The rumors claimed that there were more Omegas in the city than any other designation, and that was _ certainly _odd.

Lying concealed on the rock slope a mile away and glassing the entrance to the canyon, Talia murmured, “al-Hirz means ‘the sanctuary’. Perhaps we have found the missing Omegas.”

“Yeah, but are they here of their own free will, or captive?” Jay asked. “The name might be ironic.”

“We will find out,” Talia said grimly. That possibility had occurred to her too.

al-Hirz was a fortress, but they were assassins. No place could bar them out forever. Just the two of them infiltrated the city; for a mission like this, two people with stealth and care could accomplish what an army could not. They rappeled down the walls in the depths of night, and cautiously reconnoitered. It seemed clean, well-organized, the homes in good repair, a general sense of well-being surrounding the place. 

But Talia and Jay could both smell what was strange: there were Omegas _ everywhere_. And no Alphas.

Well, one Alpha, they eventually realized. That single thread of scent was woven through the odors of multiple Omegas, and Jay sniffed it curiously. His nose was dulled by suppressants, so he couldn’t tell much. Talia did too, closing her eyes, and said, “Young, but strong. Interesting.”

Eventually they hit a hot scent that made Talia reel for a moment, and even Jay gave a grunt of surprise. Omegas in heat, several of them, and they readied their weapons as they traced the odor. How these Omegas were treated at their most vulnerable would tell them everything they needed to know about the settlement.

Eventually they came to a spacious home, from which the smells of cooking and the sounds of easygoing conversation drifted, along with the perfume of heat. Talia sidled up to the windows, breathing shallowly, and heard several people inside laughing as they talked. They sounded happy, and above all _ safe_, so it seemed al-Hirz lived up to its name. She relaxed minutely; this was a place she could offer protection.

In that brief moment of lowered guard, they were attacked.

Jay, less bewitched by the smell of gathered Omegas, sensed it first and whirled with his gun raised. A staff slashed out of the darkness, and knocked it from his grip. He dove to recover it, knowing he had backup.

Talia struck fast and hard, her sword shattering the staff, but whoever wielded it caught the two pieces and pressed the attack. As they moved into the light, she could see that their foe was a girl of perhaps fifteen, eyes ablaze with wrath. As Talia parried the staff, the younger woman called out for guards. That shortened the time they had available to escape, and Talia growled in frustration.

“T, she’s the Alpha,” Jay warned, bringing his gun up, but not firing. They didn’t come here to harm anyone, so now it was just a matter of extricating themselves.

In that case she was compelled to defend her Omega friends and allies, hence the ferocity of the attack. “Stand down,” she commanded the girl, dashing the staff from her grip. “I am the Demon; I do not fight children.”

“Then _ die_,” the girl spat at her, and lunged again, a knife in her hand. 

Talia sidestepped and swept the girl’s feet out from under her, growing angry despite herself. “Stay down or I will _ put _you down,” she warned, threat humming in her voice. She could hear Jay cocking his gun, calling a warning to the approaching guards. Talia risked a glance and saw masked and armed Omegas beginning to surround them.

The girl rolled to her feet, still ready to fight, her eyes blazing. The primal challenge of Alpha to Alpha sang in her voice as she snarled, “Just you and me. Come on. I’ll kill you before I let you touch them, interloper.”

Talia could only growl, but Jay called back, “We’re not here for that. Hell, kid, protecting Omegas is what we _ do_. We just came to see if the place was legit.” His Arabic was fluent enough, if accented still, that the guards around them paused. “I don’t want to shoot anyone tonight. Just back off and we’ll leave.”

“Liar,” the girl retorted. “You came by night and in stealth. And an Alpha in _ this _ city can mean only one thing.”

“_You _ are an Alpha,” Talia pointed out, but there was a flurry of motion and the guards tensed up again.

A woman’s voice called, “Khairah, _ no!_” and the girl subsided with a frustrated growl. Talia glanced past her to the woman approaching them; she smelled Omega, oddly familiar. And she hurried to the girl’s side, saying, “Khairah, stand down, you _ cannot _ fight the Demon.”

Jay tensed, his gun still up and aimed at the guards, though they seemed restless more than aggressive. Talia saw the deference in them toward the Omega woman, and realized she must be the city’s leader. Perhaps it would be possible to negotiate their way out of this mess, after all. The Omega put her hand on the girl’s shoulder, and Khairah snapped, “Why not, Mother?”

A sigh, and the hair on Talia’s nape prickled with foreboding. “Because she is your sire,” the Omega woman said, and shock left Talia hollow.


	2. Chapter 2

Jay heard that, and turned; the guards weren’t the main threat anymore. Jesus fucking Christ, _ that _ was that girl from long ago, the one Talia blamed herself for, and shit he should’ve guessed, only one Alpha in a city of Omegas and that a kid of fifteen. The ages were right, the Omega woman younger than Talia despite being the leader here, and she watched Talia with a look of trepidation that approached horror.

Talia had confessed to him years ago that she believed the girl dead; she ran out into the desert, and that was plainly suicidal. Every Omega they saved, every abuser they slew, had been an apology to this woman who now stood before them, whole and alive, with _ Talia’s _ ** _daughter_ ** at her side.

He could barely imagine what Talia felt as she stood frozen. Those words tolled through her, and Talia stared, silent and empty-eyed.

The Omega women took a few steps forward, and bowed her head. “I will go with you, anywhere you demand, if you will leave my city and my child in peace.”

Oh, hell. Oh fucking hell. She thought they were here for _ her_. Jay’s gut twisted; she clearly didn’t know anything about the Demon’s crusade against abusive Alphas, and he didn’t know how to start explaining. Or how Talia would even begin to answer, since she had to be drowning in guilt right now.

Talia chose to forgo words, probably because her throat was too tight to speak. Instead she closed the distance between them … and knelt, her sword laid at this woman’s feet, head bent to expose the vulnerable nape of her neck.

Surprise swept through the guards, and the Omega woman too, all of them staring at Talia in utter shock. Jay was the only one not startled, and so he was the only one who saw Khairah spring with a knife in each hand and murder in her eyes.

He tackled her, wrapping his arms around her to control the knives, and she screamed in outrage. “It’s not what you think,” he told her roughly, his heart aching for Talia and the Omega woman and this girl, too. “Settle down, kid, it’s not what you think! She’s not the one at fault. We killed the guy responsible years ago, and hundreds like him, before and since.”

He was bigger, stronger, and better trained, and Khairah subsided. Her mother was looking at them, Talia was looking up with her broken heart plain in her gaze, and the Omega woman sighed. “Leave us,” she said to the guards.

“Lady Hadiyah…” one protested, and she cut him off.

“If they wanted me dead, there is nothing you could do to stop them. Go. I will handle this.” And for a wonder, they obeyed. To her daughter, she said, “Khairah, he speaks the truth. The story is more complicated than you know.”

“You told me how I came to be,” she snarled, and Jay wished he could just hug the poor kid. She grew up knowing she was a child of rape, of course she wanted Talia’s head on a spike. That _ had _ to fuck with her mind, with her whole sense of identity.

“I did not tell you everything,” Hadiyah replied, approaching them. She held out her hand toward her daughter, and looked at Jay gravely. “Release her. I will not let her harm the Demon.”

Jay let go, quickly moving so he could defend Talia if she was wrong, because she was still on her knees looking shell-shocked. But the way Hadiyah spoke of her - his lover, his partner, his Alpha - pricked at him, and he said, “Her _ name _ is Talia.”

“I know,” Hadiyah told him, even as she took her daughter’s hands, forcing her to sheathe the knives. Then she cut Jay a look heavy with irony, and said, “I screamed myself hoarse on that name once. I do not want it on my tongue again.”

He saw the girl grit her teeth, he could _ feel _ Talia flinch, and he bristled. “That’s not fair and you damn well know it. You were _ there_. It wasn’t her choice.”

“And you were not, American boy,” Hadiyah pointed out. “Who are you, exactly?”

“Jason Todd,” he told her. “Her Omega. I _ was _ there when she killed Bane for what he did.”

“You’re Omega?” Khairah asked, cocking her head and furrowing her brow. “You smell like Beta.” She was still suspicious of them, obviously.

“Suppressants, kiddo, the good kind,” he told her. And stayed between the pair of them and Talia, because she hadn’t moved yet, and he was worried just how much psychological damage this meeting was doing. “Look, Hadiyah. We all need to talk. This place, it’s _ exactly _ the kind of thing she and I support. Anything you need - money, guns, you name it - we’ll hook you up. But maybe we should take this little family reunion out of the street?”

She nodded, and looked past him. Something - probably his presumption in offering them aid - had finally brought Talia to her feet. Hadiyah met her eyes, and Talia said softly, “I wronged you. Anything I can do to atone…”

“Your Omega is right,” Hadiyah interrupted. “I am not so blind as to believe you were not as much a victim as I was. Bane … he is truly dead?” 

“Oh yes,” Talia said, with a touch of her Alpha temper and protectiveness behind the declaration. “I would lay his skull at your feet, if you asked.”

“Leave him in the grave where he belongs,” Hadiyah told her curtly. “Come. We must talk.”

As she turned, Jay couldn’t help adding one more thing to the proceedings. “Um. I know it’s not my place. But you’re not _ victims_. You’re _ survivors_. There’s a difference.”

All three of them looked at him with varying degrees of annoyance, and the resemblance was really obvious now that he knew what to look for. He shrugged a little. “I’m an Omega with a shitty past, too. It’s important to remember this stuff. The guy who tried to make you victims? He’s worm food. You’re _ alive_, and you’re better than him. I mean, look at this place. You’re both making the world safer for Omegas.”

Hadiyah nodded, and told him, “Come on, then. You were right, we should have this discussion privately.”


	3. Chapter 3

Talia didn’t know how she should feel; at the moment she was mostly numb. She followed Hadiyah, with Jay at her side, and he took her hand gently, unobtrusively. “You okay?” he murmured.

She nodded, and he knew it wasn’t entirely true, squeezing her fingers to reassure her. Talia lifted his hand to kiss the knuckles, briefly, but she felt Khairah’s eyes on her.

Khairah. She had a daughter. An _ Alpha _ daughter. And what was Hadiyah’s life, all these years, raising the child who was a living reminder of the worst night of her life? Talia stole a glance at the girl, seeing the shape of her own eyes, the stubborn line of her own jaw. She did not think she could have borne seeing Bane’s face in a child of her own, had this been _ her _ fate after that night. Hadiyah had perhaps more courage than she did.

Their home was cut into the rock walls, softened and warmed by tapestries on the walls and rugs on the floor. Hadiyah indicated the seating area, a series of cushions around a low table, and told Khairah to make tea. The girl left reluctantly as Talia sat down, and Jay folded himself beside her, silent and watchful. Hadiyah looked across at her frankly, the silence dragging out, but Talia had no idea what to say. 

Then again, she’d said everything she needed to, when she offered her sword and her unprotected neck.

She studied Hadiyah's face, framed by a dark blue hijab that brought out the golden tones of her skin. Her eyes were dark, and troubled just now, but she had the look of one accustomed to serenity. Talia nearly hated herself for disturbing her peace. Truly, it hurt to look upon her, to remember those delicate features twisted by fear.

And yet, to see her alive and well, to know that she had a daughter whom she clearly adored, helped silence the self-disgust Talia had lived with for almost sixteen years. She had done terrible things to this woman, but instead of being destroyed by that horrible night, Hadiyah had spent her life saving others.

At last, she murmured, “Hadiyah. Had I known your name then, I might have been able to find you. I looked. For weeks. You left no trace.”

“It wasn’t my name, in those days,” Hadiyah replied. “The Bedu found me where I had fled into the desert to die. I traveled with them, gave them no name and no history. For a time I lived as someone with neither past nor future. When I realized I was with child, I decided to live. For her sake.”

Khairah walked back into the room then, with a pot of hot mint tea and four glasses. She poured for all of them, watching Talia and Jason warily, still ready to defend her mother at need. Talia said in the same quiet tone, “Then I am grateful to my daughter, that she gave me the opportunity to make amends to you.”

At that, Khairah sneered, and Talia ignored it. The girl was a young Alpha, hot-headed and hair-triggered. Talia had learned better control. Meanwhile Hadiyah sipped the tea, and asked, “Your Omega said you killed others like Bane?”

“Yes,” Talia said. “I could not save you, so I saved every other Omega I could. And those Alphas who harm them, I slew every one.”

Hadiyah shook her head. “Such an Alpha answer. Everything is violence. I would not have wished my monument to be a pile of corpses. My legacy is this city, a sanctuary, where all but a handful are Omega.”

That made her sit up slightly, stung; with every death Talia thought she was avenging this woman. But the murders were not welcome atonement, and in Hadiyah’s rejection she realized that she’d been indulging in revenge for _ herself_.

Which left her still owing retribution. “I am in your debt. What would you have of me?”

“I would have _ nothing _ of you,” Hadiyah replied, a little too quickly, and Jason and Khairah both stirred. She softened her tone then, “My apologies. This is … I find it difficult to look at you.”

“I find it difficult to _ be _ me, at this moment,” Talia responded, and that earned her the slightest flicker of a smile. “I understand. I have had opportunities to confront those memories, but it is not the same as seeing you again. Still, you are right, al-Hirz is your proper monument. I will do whatever I can to assist you with safeguarding this place, and then I will leave, never to darken your door again.”

“‘Cause avoiding each other is so healthy,” Jason muttered, and Talia flicked her fingernail against his knee with a look meant to stifle further commentary.

“We have warriors of our own, though none so skilled as yours,” Hadiyah said, as if he hadn’t spoken. “We have ways of getting what weapons and supplies we need; this was a trading center in ancient times, and is once more. The Bedu bring us news, and Omegas in need of assistance, along with the goods we trade for.”

Talia bowed her head slightly. “You rightfully have no need of me, then.”

A long pause, and Hadiyah sighed. “I did not expect you to be … contrite. Respectful. The legends we hear of the Demon depict a woman of unusual ferocity and determination.”

“She’s that, too,” Jason put in. “Trust me, she doesn’t usually go around offering her sword to people. Unless it’s someone she should’ve protected, and couldn’t. So go easy on her, okay?”

“_Enough_,” Talia growled at him in tones of command. Hadiyah, across from her, stiffened at that. To her, command-voice could only be a threat, though Talia had never used it with her. Back then, she had not had much experience of it, and drugged half out of her mind on aphrodisiacs, she'd never thought to use it. 

But Jason was never intimidated; she’d let him see too clearly into her when she first told him of this, and he would never be frightened of her. So despite her growl, he stuck his tongue out at her like a child before turning back to Hadiyah and continuing, “She’s the biggest badass on the planet, okay, that much is true. But she’d never hurt you, or the kid, or any of the Omegas here. _ Never. _ I’m the living proof. And speaking as an Omega, sometimes it’s nice to have a vicious protective Alpha watching your back.”

“Obstreperous brat,” Talia muttered, and she was _ not _ blushing at the way he laid her soul bare.

Hadiyah actually chuckled, and that made Talia look at her again. It hurt to meet that gaze, though less with each time she did so. “And you are also the living proof that she does not control her Omega.”

He shrugged, grinning. “I don’t listen to orders. Never have, not starting now, even if she’s usually right.”

Hadiyah appeared to come to a decision then. “I appreciate your input, but there are things I would say to your Alpha alone. Perhaps there is something I need of her, after all. Khairah, show him around the city, would you?”

“Mother…!” the girl protested, but at a quelling glance from Hadiyah, she got up, scowling at Jay. 

Talia only glanced at him, raising an eyebrow. Should she allow him to be sent off in the care of another Alpha? He only shrugged again. “She’s fifteen, T, I’ll be fine. And I won’t break her. If she tries to rip my head off, I’ll just spank her and send her home.” Khairah snarled at that, and he grinned as he stood up and headed for the door. “Kiddo, I’ve spent the last ten years with a _ much _ scarier Alpha than you. Keep growling if you gotta make yourself feel dangerous, but know that you’re never gonna impress me.”

With the two of them gone, the room seemed suddenly much closer, and Talia looked over at Hadiyah with her guard up. The Omega woman regarded her carefully. “You love him.”

There was a time when she would have denied that; a time when she _ did _ deny it, even to Jason himself. And then, when he forced her to admit the truth, it had still taken time before she could say the words. She’d given them away to Bruce, far too easily, naming him Beloved in every breath - and in the end, her love for him had turned out not to be enough to save either of them from themselves. He could not be other than who and what he was, just as she could not, and the Batman could never fully accept the Daughter of the Demon. Even less would he be able to deal with her now, when the Demon was her mantle. Loving Bruce had made her wary of speaking Love’s name.

At first she and Jay had been too busy to concern themselves with it, but as they planned the assault on her father, she knew there was a chance they might both die in the attempt. And Talia could not go to her grave with something so important unspoken. She’d startled Jay, in finally telling him, not in bed or in some romantic moment that stirred her soul; she simply grabbed his hand while they were studying maps and said the words, fiercely, afraid despite knowing that _ he _ would never forsake her.

To his credit, Jay had not repeated them back immediately, just tugged her close and kissed her. Later, as they settled into bed, he said it to her, soft and almost worshipful, breathed against her neck as they held each other.

“With all my soul,” Talia answered now, for she owed Hadiyah the truth. “He was my soul, and my salvation. If not for him I would never have set my feet on the road to actually _ dealing _ with what Bane did to me. To us.”

Hadiyah nodded, coming to a decision, and leaned forward. Gently, carefully, she took Talia’s face in her hands, and Talia held still as if hiding from sniper-fire, barely breathing. Hadiyah’s scent filled her head, and her eyes slid closed, old pain brought to the surface afresh. She remembered all too well how this woman tasted, how ragingly drunk she had been on _ this _ scent distilled by heat.

“Talia al Ghul,” Hadiyah said, with a catch in her voice at speaking the name. “He was right, your Omega. It was not your fault.”

She bit her lip, feeling the burn behind her closed eyelids, but it was all too much and the tears spilled despite her best efforts to keep them hidden. “I’m sorry,” she whispered brokenly. “I’m so sorry, I should’ve stopped him, I never meant to hurt you…” 

“Hush,” Hadiyah said, her voice husky with her own old wounds. “I forgive you, Talia.”

That was the absolution she’d never let herself hope for, imagining this woman dead beyond all hope of recompense, and it broke her. Talia caught Hadiyah’s hand, kissed her palm, and finally let herself weep for both of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll be posting twice a week from here on out. Thank you all for leaving comments and kudos!


	4. Chapter 4

“So you’re her Omega,” Khairah said, eyeing him. 

She wasn’t that great a tour guide, but then, they weren’t sent out because he needed to see the city. All that mattered was letting Talia and Hadiyah sort themselves out without any well-meaning overprotective interference. 

By way of answer, Jay tugged his sleeve up, showing her the tattoo at his wrist, the one he got once they officially took over the League. It was just Talia’s name in Arabic calligraphy, inked on him forever just past the carpal scent gland, and when she saw it, she’d been annoyed at first. Then three days later she’d disappeared for a few hours, and returned with his name tattooed over her heart, and that’s really all they ever needed to say about it.

Khairah looked, and frowned, kicking a stone to watch it skitter along the walkway. Jay told her, “Don’t worry, the ink was my idea. Yep, I’m hers. She saved my life.”

“And you became her Omega out of gratitude?” Khairah hadn’t yet learned to mask the contempt in her voice, but it only made Jay chuckle.

“No. I didn’t even tell her I was Omega. See, there’s a guy she was in love with, and he found me living on the street. Stealing tires and selling them to get by.” A pause, and he decided fuck it, this was Talia’s daughter, he’d give her the whole story. “I don’t think he ever realized I was selling myself, too, but that’s life, when you’re thirteen and homeless on the wrong side of town. It was either hooking or selling drugs, and the gangsters get their drug mules addicted. At least I could be independent, my way.”

Her shock showed in every line of her body, but she didn’t comment. This place was a refuge for Omegas, so she must have known that bad shit happened in the world - and too much of it happened to Omegas. Jay continued, “Anyway, the guy who tried to save me first? He’s Batman. I was Robin. And everything was okay for a while, until one of his bad guys decided the best way to get his attention was to kill me.”

“They say the Demon cannot die,” Khairah whispered, her eyes wide.

“More like, she knows how to bring someone back. And that was more her dad’s gig than hers, even if she used it to save me.” Jay shrugged. He was glossing over a lot of it, like how Talia hated the Lazarus Pit now and used it only as a last resort - but in their line of work, there’d been too many last resorts. She didn’t intend to live forever, like her father, just long enough to do some good in the world. And none of that was anything Khairah needed to know, just now.

“I came back wanting to kill Batman, because he didn’t avenge me. She set me up to learn how to be an assassin. She was stalling me, really, because she didn’t want him dead. And I was taking street suppressants the whole time. Until I got a bad batch, and went into heat, and she found me in the middle of a city where I was planning to take out a bunch of Alphas who trafficked in Omegas, including children.”

“How romantic,” Khairah said.

Jay smirked at her. “She’s my Alpha now because she _ didn’t _ take advantage. And we took out the gang, together. She played bait rather than risk even a _ chance _ of them hurting me. But because of that, she’s the one who got hurt, and it brought up a whole lot of ugly memories. Including your mom. I guess she never told you how that went down?”

Khairah stiffened and glared at him. “I asked her once, as a child, where my father was. She told me I was sired by an Alpha, and not one she chose. I never asked again. We know what Alphas are, here.”

Jay rubbed the back of his neck; shit, this was _ so _ not his story to tell, but the kid needed to know _ something_. Starting with all Alphas weren’t rapists, because she _ was _ an Alpha, and growing up in an Omega sanctuary had to’ve fucked with her head. “Look, Alphas are useful, okay? They’re controlling and bossy and hot-tempered as hell. I would know, I’ve lived with two of them and met a lot more. But just being Alpha doesn’t make you an abusive piece of shit. Hell, the guy who did all this to them both was _ Beta_. Some people are just garbage, no matter their designation. And what Talia and I do, is take out the trash. An Alpha’s real good for getting things done like that. What an Alpha’s _ supposed _ to be is protective. Kinda like you going after two of the top assassins on the planet to protect your home and your family.”

She nodded, thoughtful, and he continued, “As for how it happened, you wanna ask your mom this stuff, because I know full well I only got one side of the story. But the short version is, there was a guy named Bane who wanted Talia. She didn’t want him. Your mom was just the means to an end - she was in heat, and he used her to distract Talia enough so he could have her.”

He could practically smell the rage percolating through her at that thought. “I’m glad she killed him, then,” she said coldly.

“Me too,” Jay said. “I was there for her when she did it, just like she was there for me when I killed the guy who beat me to death with a crowbar. And the two of us, we always keep an eye out for people trafficking Omegas or kids. We find them, we stalk them, we kill them. We get the Omegas to safety. Hell, if we’d known this place was here, we could’ve sent them to you and your mom.”

It was a lot to think about, and he wasn’t surprised when she fell silent. But what she asked, after a while, did catch him off guard, even though it shouldn’t have. “What is she like?” Khairah said, almost shyly. “My sire. We hear rumors of the Demon, but … what is she _ really _ like?”

Jay grinned. This part, he could do.


	5. Chapter 5

Talia would never tell anyone, except perhaps Jason, that she’d wept on Hadiyah’s shoulder. It was as if an old wound that pained her from time to time had finally been opened, letting out all the corruption and leaving her with edges that were raw, but finally clean. The scar would always be there, but the pain she felt was now the ache of healing.

Hadiyah had wept, too, but it was her house, so she brought them both a basin of cool water and soft cloths to wipe their faces. Once they were composed again, she looked at Talia afresh. “There is _ one _ thing I need of you,” she finally said.

“Ask, and it is yours,” Talia replied, exhausted but willing to do whatever was necessary. For that balm of forgiveness, she would give almost anything.

“Khairah is Alpha,” Hadiyah said, as if that had not been obvious from the first. “And she is reaching an age where… We are all Omegas here, some few Betas. No Alphas, and for most of my people, they would revolt if I suggested bringing one here. Khairah is accepted only because the people know she is my daughter.”

“No Alpha children, either?” Talia asked.

“Not yet,” Hadiyah replied. “There may be someday, a few of the Omegas have arrived pregnant by an Alpha, but Khairah is currently the only child old enough for us to be certain of her designation. And as our population grows, most of the children will be of pairings between Omegas.”

She gave Talia a careful look at that; there were still people who thought designation should determine love. Talia thought otherwise, of course, and also reflected that pairings between Omegas always resulted in Omega children. Khairah being Alpha meant the girl could never escape knowing how she was conceived.

“If my life had gone differently, I might have borne the child of an Alpha man I once loved,” Talia told her. “As things stand, Jason and I have neither the time or the security to offer a child a proper life. If we did, it would be even odds which of us carried the babe.”

That raised Hadiyah’s eyebrows a little, and she shook her head. “I forget that I do not truly know you. Yet with every new revelation, I see a great deal of you in Khairah.”

“As do I,” Talia said. “She seems as stubborn as I was.”

Hadiyah nodded, falling silent, and then she sighed. “Khairah needs to learn how to be an Alpha. And there is no one here to teach her. Had anyone asked me yesterday, I would have said I would spend my life trying to keep her from you. But you are not as I imagined.”

“Nor are you as I expected,” Talia pointed out. “You are the leader here. I know better, I have a perfect example at my side of the fact that Omega does not mean mindless follower, but I would not have dreamed that you would have founded a city of refuge.”

“Yes, well, I have changed and grown here. Even if you had known me then, you would not now,” Hadiyah told her with a small smile. “I will not give up my daughter entirely. I love her far too much. Still, if she agrees, will you let her come to you? To learn what we cannot teach?”

That was the most terrifying question Talia had ever had to answer. Yet there was only one possible response. “If she will come, then yes, she is welcome. If not, I can try to find a trustworthy Alpha. She has much to learn.”

“I imagine so,” Hadiyah said, looking relieved. “I had dreaded this, her coming of age. And yet somehow I managed to put off making plans until the next day, and the next, and the next.”

“You need not worry alone,” Talia replied. “She is my daughter - I owe her guidance, at the very least. And the chance to know me as more than my legend.”

Hadiyah sat back with a sigh. “Thank you, Talia. And now, I suppose we should see where she and your Jason have gotten to. al-Hirz is not so large a city that we cannot find them quickly.”

“I can track her, if necessary,” Talia said. “His suppressants make it harder for me to find him in a city this thick with Omegas, but I can follow another Alpha as if her trail were painted on the ground for me.”

Hadiyah raised an eyebrow at that. “I did not realize an Alpha’s sense of smell was so keen.”

“If I were suppressed, it would not be,” Talia informed her. “I prefer not to blind one of my senses, even if it occasionally makes situations awkward.”

“Ever the assassin,” Hadiyah said, shaking her head slightly. “Let us go, then.”

They headed out, and on the street the scents of so many Omegas were distracting. Talia had more self-control than most, but even she had to shake her head to clear it. “My apologies. This place … even if I will be returning from time to time after all, for Khairah’s sake, I could never rest comfortably here. There are too many Omegas.”

“I never imagined an Alpha would disparage the abundance of so many Omegas,” Hadiyah told her.

“There are too many of you for me to properly protect,” Talia said, orienting on Khairah’s scent.

Hadiyah smiled, but it had a streak of bitterness in it. “We protect _ ourselves_.”

“Yes, but you will have the Demon’s official sanction,” Talia replied, setting out to track the young Alpha. “You cannot keep this place hidden forever. If you are under my protection, no other Alpha will dare try to claim the city as their personal playground.”

A pause, and Hadiyah said darkly, “They may think _ you _ have already done so.”

“I have no desire to give that impression,” Talia said. “If other Omegas think this is my harem, they may fear to come here. And that would also open you up to acts of revenge by my enemies. I will arrange matters such that it is clear you operate under your own aegis. It is not a secret that I kill abusive Alphas wherever I find them.”

“We must make time to sort out such arrangements,” Hadiyah said with a sigh. “Leadership is more a burden than I would have imagined.”

“It is always so,” Talia told her.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yikes, I meant to post this yesterday - I''m trying to update twice weekly, on Tuesdays and Fridays. When I finish the first draft I may switch to three updates a week.
> 
> Thank you for the kudos and comments! I really appreciate them. <3

They were talking, not touring, so Jay and Khairah fetched up on a stone bench. She sat precariously on the top edge of it, and he wondered if the attempt to dominate him with height was conscious or not. Didn’t matter, since it didn’t work. He turned sideways to her, one foot up on the seat just in case she got ideas. Right now, though, she was too busy giggling helplessly at his stories of missions past.

“So there we were, heap big badasses that we are, up to our necks in foam on the club’s dance floor, and it turns out the stuff they use to make it bubbly has this chemical scent that wrecks her nose. The only way we can figure out who our target actually _ is_, since there’s like ten guys who match the description, is by getting close enough for a good sniff. And foam night is a dumbass idea anyway if you ask me, but I don’t mind a bunch of hot people in bathing suits, especially if Talia’s one of them. She just wants to get the job done and she’s getting steadily more pissed, and of course I’m just having a grand time, until finally I catch the Alpha scent and there’s our guy in this ridiculous blue speedo with a girl on each arm…”

He trailed off, seeing Talia and Hadiyah approaching, and whatever they needed to say to each other must’ve been said, because the body language was a lot calmer. Not friendly, precisely, there was still a stiff formality there, which didn’t surprise Jay. Both of them had really awful memories of the other, so it was gonna be awkward and painful no matter what.

Talia heard the story and cocked an eyebrow. “Whereupon _ you _ approached him with a spritz of artificial heat scent on your neck, and he had so little self-control as to attempt to molest you in _ public_.”

“And you promptly beat the crap out of him, _ in public_, and we had to hide from the cops for three days, and almost didn’t catch him on his way out of the hospital,” Jay finished with a smirk. “He gave us the names of his buyers as soon as we told him who we were. Chickenshit.”

“And then?” Khairah asked, looking a little anxious. Jay thought it was Talia’s presence, so close to her mother, or maybe just the more ordinary teenage worry that she was having too much fun her mom might deem inappropriate.

“Then I killed him,” Talia said, and Hadiyah glanced downward. Yeah, that one didn’t approve of revenge.

It effectively ended the storytelling, and Jay stood up and stretched. “You got everything sorted, T?”

“Yes,” she said, and paused. “Jason … I should have asked you first. Forgive me. Hadiyah, would you rather…?”

He should’ve known just based on her odd hesitation, but what Hadiyah stepped forward to say still came as a shock. “Khairah, my beloved daughter,” she began. “I have been remiss. I thought I could put off this day…” 

“You’re sending me away?” the girl said, heartbreak plain in her voice.

“Not forever,” Hadiyah hastened to correct, and Talia said at the same moment, “Only if you are willing.”

Jay jumped in, because shit, he doesn’t think either of them realized what living here did to the girl. Khairah herself didn’t either. “Hey, listen, they’re right. You need to learn how to be an Alpha, and no one here can teach you. This is the _ worst _ place in the world for an Alpha to grow up!”

Hadiyah turned an affronted look on him, and he stepped forward. Only later would he realize he put himself between Khairah and them, as if she needed protecting. “Guys, come on. It’s an _ Omega _ sanctuary. Talia, most of the people here have only known the kind of Alphas we kill. And Hadiyah, you’re trying to raise her _ here_? Where there’s _ always _ an Omega in heat somewhere? And where something she can’t control means most of the people around can’t help thinking of her as an abuser waiting to happen? That’s not fair to her. The kid’s already gotta deal with knowing she’s a child of rape, making her think she’s gonna _ commit _ one eventually is just cruel.”

All three of them stared at him, and Hadiyah put a hand to her mouth. Yeah, she’d never even thought of that. But Khairah rose, and he could feel the rage pouring off her. He’d spoken a little too bluntly, naming what all four of them already knew, but Jay had always been one to speak the truth no matter how painful. Khairah was too young for that. “You _ dare_…! You know nothing about me, Omega!”

He turned and looked at her steadily. Her eyes were so much like Talia’s, and he’d seen that same anger floating uneasily over pain too many times before. “Kid, I know enough to guess right. This isn’t healthy for you, never seeing what an Alpha _ should _ be.”

Her voice whipcracked with command. “_Stop _ calling me ‘kid’.”

Talia growled at the audacity, Hadiyah flinched at the order, and Jay just grinned as it rolled right off him. “Kiddo, babe, brat, _ munchkin _ even - you can’t order me around, Khairah. Might as well learn that now. But since I’m trying to _ help _ you, okay, I’ll be nice. You could just _ ask_, it gets better results.”

She looked shocked, at her own temerity and his lack of reaction. “I don’t think you’re being banished, right, Hadiyah?” She nodded, and Jay continued, “It’s just you’re hitting an age where you should learn how to control your instincts. And you can’t do that here. Besides, don’t you want a chance to see the world? London, Paris, Tokyo, L.A., Metropolis, we’ve got property everywhere.”

Khairah just blinked, and Talia cleared her throat. “He’s right, as he so often and so _ obnoxiously _ is. This is not an easy decision for your mother to make - she wants to keep you safe, Khairah, and ‘safe’ has always meant ‘far from me’. I did not know she was alive, or that you existed, or you would both have known long before this that I would never harm either of you. But if you will permit me to make amends, I can teach you how to be an Alpha with honor, one worthy of respect.”

“And I would not have you leave tonight,” Hadiyah put in. “Arrangements must be made. I would not let you go without a little more time to cherish you. And I _ will _ have you back - you are my daughter, Khairah, the light of my eyes. I love you too much to send you away forever.”

“Perhaps some formal acknowledgment that this city is under the Demon’s protection might be in order?” Talia offered. “If Khairah leaves with us, to an outsider it will look as if you had to give your daughter as a hostage to obtain my favor, which will keep you from becoming a target of my enemies.”

“That might be the best option,” Hadiyah admitted.

Khairah glanced between them, clearly torn. She’d be hurt if she was cast out, but she couldn’t help wanting to see the world outside these walls. She was _ fifteen_, of course she wanted to explore and learn and rebel a little bit. Jay smirked at her indecision; she was a likable little brat, really. And maybe if they were lucky, she wouldn’t end up as fucked up as all of them.

He looped an arm around her shoulders in a gruff hug. “C’mon, hang out with us for a while. I promise I won’t make you call me ‘dad’.”

The girl elbowed him, but she smiled a little. “_She _ is my sire, and you are Omega. That would make you my dam.”

“Okay, fine, I won’t make you call me ‘mom,’ either,” Jay laughed. “What do you say, Khairah? Wanna see the world and learn how to be a badass at the same time?”

“If my mother thinks it best,” she finally said, and all of them knew that was really a _ yes_.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two chapters this time, because this one is short.

Talia was quite surprised to find Jay and Khairah in such camaraderie. Then again, he had always been fond of children, particularly troubled ones. And he pointed out what none of them had yet considered - this welcome sanctuary was a reminder of dark deeds for Khairah. Not only that, it was a source of constant torment. Just in the time she’d been here, Talia had already begun to _ itch _ with the knowledge of so very many Omegas, at least five of them in heat, and her instincts told her she should have been doing something about them. They were unclaimed, unprotected, and she had a responsibility… 

But that was mere biology. Hadiyah was right, they were perfectly capable of taking care of themselves, and she knew that intellectually even if her warrior’s heart remained unconvinced.

Khairah obviously did want to travel, but not as an outcast, and Hadiyah made that perfectly clear in her answer. “I know it would be better for you,” she admitted. “But as your mother, I would prefer to keep you at my side forever. I cannot be so selfish with you, my heart. You deserve more. And I have been foolish, not to think what al-Hirz means for you.”

Khairah went to her mother then, and embraced her. “I love you. You have always been the best of mothers, to a daughter I know you could not have wished for.”

“You have been my blessing,” Hadiyah said, determined. “That is why I chose your name. You saved my life, _ habibti_, all unknowing. And you have been my delight since the moment you first drew breath.”

Talia looked away from what was obviously a private moment, and met Jay’s gaze instead. He grinned at her. “I like the kid. Sure, T, since she decided to follow us home, you can keep her.”

“She is not a stray animal,” Talia scolded, but gently, standing close enough to look at him archly.

Jay tilted his head sideways, laughter in his eyes. “No, she’s a lot like you. But younger and more temperamental, if that’s even possible.”

“Hush,” Talia told him, and turned back.

Hadiyah and Khairah were stepping apart at last, with tremulous smiles. Hadiyah regarded Talia thoughtfully. “Two weeks, perhaps, to explain this night to my people and prepare to see my daughter leave my side. You _ will _ keep her safe.”

It was a command, not a request, and Talia inclined her head in acceptance. “I will guard her with my own life. We will return in two weeks, to officially lend the Demon’s support to your mission here. I will bring no more than three dozen men, so as not to overtax you. Does that suit?”

“It does,” Hadiyah said formally, and she walked with them back to their entry point.

The scouts from al-Hirz had found their rappelling equipment, and were waiting silently above for their return. Talia smirked a little, thinking that if this night had gone differently, she would’ve taught them not to underestimate the Demon. It was better not to need to deal out such violence.

She turned for one last look at Hadiyah, whose wary eyes still affected her, and Khairah so eager to see the world. “It was an unexpected pleasure to meet you both,” Talia told them.

Hadiyah nodded graciously, and Jay added, “Take care, both of you. Especially you, kiddo.”

Khairah wrinkled her nose. “Are you too uneducated to pronounce my name, or just an ass?”

Hadiyah hissed at her for the profanity, but Jay only laughed. “Just keeping it real. And also being an ass, but that’s one of my charms.”

“Jason, stop baiting her,” Talia said, shaking her head, and they started the climb upward.


	8. Chapter 8

The moment they were alone in the house they rented for this trip, Talia turned to Jay and caught the front of his shirt, silently holding on to him for a moment. “I need you,” she finally whispered, her voice fraught. It took a long time for her to trust him enough to be so honest; she was raised to believe that need was weakness, and Jay could kill Ra’s again just for that. 

He held her tight while she burrowed into his embrace, the straight line of her nose pressed against his throat as she drank in his scent. For a while they just stood like that, Jay petting her back in long soothing strokes, Talia trembling ever so slightly under his touch.

“She forgave me,” she said finally, her voice half muffled against his skin as if that would keep him from hearing how it broke. Talia drew back, took a breath, and steadied herself. “After all that I did, Jay, she _ forgave _ me. And was willing to trust me enough to send Khairah to me.”

“You did kinda lay your sword at her feet,” he pointed out gently. “That says a lot about who you are. I told you ten years ago, T, it wasn’t your fault.”

“I was not blameless,” she insisted, sounding cross. “Had I not been Alpha…”

“You never had a choice in that, either,” Jay reminded her. This was an old argument, one she never wanted to revisit, and he’d never been sure of whether to push her, or just deal with it as it came up. He never forgot that he’d made a private vow, standing on an airfield confronting her about what they really meant to each other, to someday convince Talia that it wasn’t her fault. Maybe having met Khairah would kick that process into overdrive.

“Still…” she murmured.

“It’s _ still _ Bane’s fault, not yours,” Jay said, and pushed even though the memories made him sick, too. “He tied you up so you couldn’t run. He drugged you so you couldn’t resist. And he found Hadiyah and brought her to you. You never would’ve _ met _ her, if not for him.”

When he stated that so bluntly, Talia bowed her head again, hiding against his chest. He could feel the tension in her shoulders, threatening to break; even with Bane seven years in his grave, she was still haunted by those memories. Very softly, Talia said, “I wish it was as easy for me to hear those words as it is for you to say them.”

Jay buried his hand in her hair, rumpling it soothingly. “It’d be just as hard for me to talk about some of the johns I had. This stuff hurts, T. It always will. Over time it’ll hurt less. Knowing Hadiyah is alive, that she’s become a rescuer, too, that should help some.”

“It does,” Talia admitted, nuzzling his throat. “Knowing that she carried and bore and raised my daughter, though…”

“Yeah, that’s guilt,” Jay said. “You didn’t know. She could’ve found you and told you. She knew who you were.”

She went very still in his arms at that. “Father would have killed her. And Khairah. Or sent them far away. He never wanted me to have an Omega.”

“Because he was afraid of you loving anyone more than you loved him,” Jay growled. When they’d made their final stand against Ra’s al Ghul, Talia had been successful … barely. Jay could still smell the Lazarus Pit in his nightmares, the stench of death overlaid with cloying jasmine, and he’d hated surrendering Talia to its waters. But she’d been bleeding out, run through by her father’s sword, and he’d watched her step into the path of the blade to drive her own swordpoint into her father’s throat. She might’ve survived with prompt medical treatment, but cremating Ra’s al Ghul was more important, and only once the pyre was fully alight did she let him coax her away.

And the single most fucked-up thing about that whole night had been Talia _ weeping _ for her father. Despite knowing that she’d never be free until she killed him, despite having made plans over weeks and months to bring them to that final confrontation, despite striking the killing blow without a shred of hesitation, she had still wept like any child whose daddy had died in front of her.

Jay understood that, in his own way. Once upon a time he’d hated Bruce so much that he’d wanted the Bat dead. Really, with Lazarus-fueled outrage driving his actions, Jay had wanted all of them dead: Joker, Bruce, the replacement Robin … and himself. All of that was behind him, now. Joker was dead, Batman was still brooding, there were a couple _ more _new Robins, even a girl Robin, and Jay had decided the best revenge was living well. He didn't bear a grudge against them, not anymore. But he remembered being caught between the hate that helped him survive and the stupid blind love that wouldn’t die.

Talia leaned up to kiss him. “Thank you,” she murmured.

“For what?” he asked, pressing his cheek to hers.

Her answer breathed softly against his ear. “For being here for me when I need you. For loving me despite my flaws. For believing in me, no matter what. For being _ you_, Jason.”

Well, when she _ did _ talk about feelings, Talia generally managed to say just the right things, and Jay smiled as he kissed her shoulder. “I can’t be anyone else,” he told her softly. “And I’m here, I love you, and I believe in you, because you’re _ worth it_, Talia. Not to mention, you do the same for me.”

She chuckled softly. “I love you, too. And I could not do less than treat you as the undeserved delight you are.” Another kiss, and she drew back to fix him with a serious gaze. “Jason?”

“Yeah?” he replied.

Talia cupped his face, stroking her thumbs along his jaw gently. “Make love to me?”

Usually he heard those words as an impassioned demand, but now she spoke them softly, still unsure of herself, asking for connection and comfort. He just smiled, letting her see his genuine enjoyment as well as the playful side. “Always.”


	9. Chapter 9

Oh yes, her father had been right. This idolatrous love was a weakness, but what a glorious weakness. Worse for the way she loved surrendering to him, as an Alpha should not want to be taken, but in Jason’s arms she could simply _ be_. Not the Demon, not Alpha, only Talia - and be loved so well for it. He was as gentle and loving with her as anyone could have wished, and when she trembled on the edge of fulfillment under him, the words Jay murmured in her ear were not the demand she so often made of him. Instead he told her, “I’ve got you, c’mon, Talia, you can let go… I’ve got you, lover. Come for me, beautiful, I want you to…” 

Though she was normally quiet, as only one trained to assassin’s work could be, at that Talia moaned for him. Afterward, still trembling a little as she burrowed into Jay’s arms, he chuckled indulgently at her.

When she could breathe evenly again, when they’d both come down from it, she murmured, “Thank you.” 

“You’re welcome,” he replied, a laugh rumbling in his chest. “Happy to oblige.”

Talia nipped his throat. “Not for _ that_. Or, not _ just _ for that, in any case. For being so willing to take in Khairah. This wasn’t in either of our plans.” They had never discussed children, both of them scrupulous about birth control even when he was in heat. Talia had wanted a child, when she was barely more than one herself; a little boy or girl to adore. But that dream, like most of her childhood fancies, dissipated like morning fog before the reality of being the Demon.

“She seems like a good kid,” Jay said blithely, as if this wasn’t turning both of their lives upside-down. And then added, “Bit of a brat, but then, she’s _ your _ daughter.”

“You have no idea what I was like at that age,” Talia scolded him gently.

“I bet you were a holy terror,” he laughed, his breath warm on her forehead. “Ra’s al Ghul’s youngest and favorite child? An Alpha bred and born to rule? Not to mention growing up with the kind of money that rivals the GDP of some countries. I bet you were an arrogant, stubborn, spoiled princess.”

He was right, of course, but the way he chose to express it gave her pause. Money was one of those things they rarely discussed. It would never be a concern for her; Talia had managed her father’s investments for years before taking over, and the Demon’s coffers were always full. The assets in her name ranged from securities in western markets, to properties and businesses across the globe, to vast amounts of land under farming and timber and mining contracts. All managed responsibly, of course, in stewardship of the environment and not exploitation.

Jason was decidedly _ not _ born to privilege. He had known cold and hunger not as part of training, but as cruel reality. At the age of thirteen, he was living alone on the street, surviving the only way he could, and Talia was uncomfortably aware that at the same age she had fought for her life under her father’s training - but she also slept on silk sheets and dined on caviar. Any one pair of earrings she wore back then could have fed Jay for a month.

Being born to wealth and power did not make her _ better _ than him. Simply better equipped for the role she’d chosen in life. And despite everything he overcame, perhaps in part _ because _ of it, Jason remained a remarkable man in her eyes.

“Hey,” he murmured when she didn’t answer, nudging her chin up. “I was just teasing. That wasn’t meant to insult.”

“I know,” she told him, catching his hand for a quick kiss to let him know she wasn’t angry. “But you are correct. I was arrogant, and very much spoiled.”

“In some ways,” he pointed out. “I mean, you never got Saturday morning cartoons. Or a real childhood. Shit, at least I got to have friends.”

In that way, yes, her youth had its privations. There were no children about of equal rank, no playmates for her. Talia had always socialized with adults, driven from an early age to conduct herself like one of them. It had been a great deal of pressure for a young and headstrong woman. Part of her was grateful for the acknowledgment that her childhood was not entirely idyllic; part of her, still, bridled at the notion that she could ever be considered _ deprived_.

“I have you, now,” she told him, as if that made up for everything in her past. And hopefully having her made up for everything in his.

He fell quiet for a moment, then murmured, “I wonder … Khairah’s about fifteen, right? With all those Omegas around, I wonder if she’s got a boyfriend or a girlfriend at home.”

“She would have been more reluctant to leave if she did,” Talia replied. “I would not be separated from you for anything.”

He stroked her back, and she could hear his smile when he spoke. “I love you, too. It’s gonna be weird having another Alpha around.”

Without her father’s influence, the Demon’s rolls had expanded to include some Alphas and Omegas, all people whose character Talia knew extensively and personally. She would not risk a betrayal. Still, none of them were allowed into her social circle, and since that was less a circle and more of a _ line _ between herself and Jay, Talia did not mind. The scent of her, largely unsuppressed, was unsettling to Alphas and attractive to Omegas, which made anything other than strictly formal occasions rather awkward.

“It will be odd,” Talia admitted.

Jay sighed against her neck, sending a shiver down her spine. “I like kids, but I’m warning you, I have no idea how to raise one. Then again, she’s fifteen, she’s mostly raised already. We just have to teach her how to be an Alpha.”

Talia murmured wordless agreement, beginning to drift sleepily in his arms. She would have to get to _ know _ her daughter first, and to that end she intended to teach her martial arts. Khairah’s staff work was acceptable, but the way of the sword was in her blood. And even in these modern days, a sword was a weapon of honor. “She will learn well.”

Jay chuckled. “Better be careful, or she’ll learn a whole lot more than we plan for. Female Alphas _ do _ tend to get a lot of attention. Remember Mumbai? Our contact there was pretty fascinated with you.”

Talia groaned at that reminder. They’d broken up a major trafficking ring in that city, one that spanned a sizable geographic region and ran from the street all the way up into local government officials. Children from nearby villages, as young as _ ten_, had been promised jobs in the city, then sold to brothels. When Talia and Jay were done, they had been left with a dozen Omega and Beta children in need of care, and had found a local doctor who specialized in getting trafficking victims to safety.

That doctor happened to be an Omega woman who saved children of all designations and returned them to their families. They had just wiped out her biggest problems, so she was very pleased with them, and she could provide references of adults whom she’d gotten legitimate jobs. Jay had liked and trusted her almost immediately, but she had been quite clearly attracted to Talia. She mistook Jay for Alpha as so many did, and since they didn’t enlighten her as to their relationship, every interaction after that first one was fraught with subtle tension. 

She’d never been _ overt_, but Talia blushed to remember that trip. Omega women, in particular, were drawn to her, and the doctor had been more tempting than most. Stunningly beautiful, but more than that, driven and principled and deeply compassionate. Jay, fortunately, found it amusing. “We are going to keep my daughter out of the hands of randy Omegas,” Talia replied. “I’m old enough to know the difference between infatuation and love. I’d rather she not learn it so disastrously young.”

Jay ran a thoughtful hand along her side. “We can’t keep her locked up in a tower forever. It’s gonna happen eventually.”

“Let her choose a lover for herself, then, and not be swayed by scent,” Talia replied. “Being an Alpha is more than just _ sex_, as you ought to know.”

“I know, I’m just teasing,” he admitted. “It was also a lot of fun watching the doc flirt with you. Admit it, you liked her.”

“I did. But I am committed elsewhere, as _ you _ well know.” Talia took his hand then, and kissed the tattoo on his wrist before placing it over her heart.

He hugged her close. “Lucky me. I’m not real inclined to share, to be honest. Still, we were talking about Khairah, and I remember being fifteen. You have a pretty big library here, and no restrictions on the internet. She’ll find all kinds of education you weren’t intending her to learn, T.”

That could be disastrous. Her own coming of age was circumscribed by her father and by circumstance, with no one of similar age about, though she’d been free to read whatever she liked. Unless she wished to be similarly strict with Khairah, Talia was going to have to have several uncomfortable conversations with the girl. “I was thinking of going to Paris with her,” she finally said to Jay.

“You’re also thinking of fashion week,” Jay chuckled. “Might be good for her, seeing an entirely new part of the world. And we can get her into school, around kids her own age. Just don’t spring it all on her at once, though. Let her adjust to being here, with us, before we go flinging her across continents. Poor kid’s got a lot to deal with.”

Talia bowed to his wisdom in that. He knew a few things about sudden changes of circumstance. “Jason?” she murmured, after they’d both drifted in thoughtful silence for a few moments.

“Yeah?” he replied, his arm around her waist as much an anchor as ever.

“I would not say this to anyone else alive,” she began, and sighed. “I am _ terrified_.”

A long pause. “Of screwing her up somehow? Being a bad parent?”

“Yes,” she whispered.

He hugged her tight. “Look, T … first of all, you think I’m_ not_? I mean, shit, sometimes I still feel like a kid myself. Just with more experience and more scars, but on the inside I still think I’m like, twenty.”

That made her laugh. “I believe _ that _ may be a universal experience. I certainly do not feel much difference despite having passed thirty.”

“So yeah, we’re both scared as hell, we’re taking responsibility for a whole human being,” he told her. “What could possibly be scarier? But the thing is, we’re gonna screw it up. Everyone does. The best parents in the world fuck up sometimes. All those parents around Mumbai who thought their kids were getting good jobs in the city, they just wanted a better life for their kids than what they had. Shit, _ Bruce _ fucked up, I’m the living proof. And he’s Bat-Dad.”

He had not brought her former Beloved’s name up in some time, and it sent a chill through her. Jay continued unaware, “All we can do is try to do what’s right for her, and not screw up too bad. You don’t have to be a perfect parent, Talia, just one who loves her daughter.”

“Thank you,” she told him.

Another squeeze, and he added, “And don’t shoot the first boyfriend or girlfriend she brings home. Nobody appreciates that.”

“Of course not,” she told him, pretending to be affronted. His sly humor infected her, every so often, and now was one of those times. “I would _ never _ risk getting blood on these carpets.”

Her reward was his honest laughter.


	10. Chapter 10

The moment Talia and Jason left, Hadiyah called a hurried meeting of her guards. “Speak to no one of this,” she told them, and saw their looks of surprise. “I will call a general meeting tomorrow, to say that we were discovered by the Demon, and that she offers alliance. But we must keep her relationship to Khairah secret.”

Her people paused, and one of the lieutenants, a dark-skinned woman named Makda, asked with a frown, “Why?”

Khairah was wondering too, and Hadiyah owed these, her most loyal supporters, the truth. “If it became known that the Demon has a daughter here, all of her enemies will converge on _ us_,” she explained. “I would leave before I would let that happen.”

They had all heard her volunteer to go with the Demon, to barter herself for the safety of al-Hirz and her daughter. The captain of the guards, Omar, shook his head. “As if we would surrender you so easily.”

Hadiyah stepped forward and caught his gaze. “I am not essential to al-Hirz,” she insisted. “If I bring danger here, then for the good of all, I will go, and you would not stop me. The existence of this sanctuary matters more than any one person here, and I who founded it would _ never _let myself be the cause of its ruin. There are several others who could run al-Hirz at least as well as I can. Let them carry on my work, if I must go.”

“No,” Makda said firmly. “We will keep this secret, and keep you and Khairah safe. There is no other who can be _ you_, Hadiyah, and you are the mortar that sets all of us in place here.”

She would have protested, but Omar spoke too. “Perhaps another could run al-Hirz, but only because _ you _ found it, created it, and arranged matters so that we can go on without you. It would be poor repayment indeed if we allowed you to be forced out of the sanctuary that is your child as much as Khairah is. No, Lady Hadiyah, we will keep this secret.”

Hadiyah sighed. “Your loyalty touches my heart - but I would have you be loyal to al-Hirz, and each other, not to me. I am only one person.”

“This was your vision,” Omar countered. “You are more than just yourself, now, you are the leader of al-Hirz.”

“So I must be,” Hadiyah relented. “Very well. Go back to your duties, my friends, and I will see you at tomorrow’s meeting.”

As she turned to go, she found Makda at her side. Khairah glanced across at her, and Hadiyah put a gentle hand on her daughter’s arm. “Something troubles you, Makda?”

“Not here,” the other woman said, and Hadiyah nodded. The three of them walked to Hadiyah’s home, and Khairah sniffed a little on opening the door. Talia’s scent lingered, warmth and spice and Alpha, and it made Khairah and Makda both frown. Hadiyah simply lit candles, the clean scent of beeswax gradually softening the Alpha scent. She offered her guest something to drink or eat, which Makda politely refused. She did at least take a seat, in the kitchen, and Khairah settled in as well. Hadiyah thought about asking her to leave, but then, whatever bothered Makda likely involved Talia, and Khairah deserved to know the truth as well.

Makda came from curious circumstances. Her mother had been expecting an Alpha child, and had dismissed her Beta offspring as beneath regard. Her father had felt much the same. Ignored by the Alpha leaders of her village, snubbed by the Omegas as well, she had left home as soon as she was old enough. It was her people’s custom to marry Beta daughters off as concubines to Alphas, and Makda wanted more from life than to be considered even less than just a wife. She had traveled with the Amazigh, called Berbers by some, and eventually met an Omega man fleeing an arranged marriage. Makda had posed as his Alpha to help him get to al-Hirz, and she’d been shocked when Hadiyah welcomed her to stay also. 

She’d found her place among the guards here, respected for her abilities and her sound judgment, and no one cared that she was ‘just’ another Beta. Some envied her freedom from heat cycles, but most simply considered her a loyal guard. Hadiyah herself was lucky to call her a good friend, as well.

Makda worried at her lip, a sure sign that she wasn’t certain about what she meant to say. “You never told us the Demon was Khairah’s sire,” she finally said, speaking quietly. “Or that you knew the Demon at all.”

“Because I did not know her,” Hadiyah replied. “I had never met her. My family lived in the village nearest the palatial estate owned by the Demon’s Head. I had relatives who worked there, but he did not permit any Alpha or Omega to take service in his household. I had never laid eyes on either of them, except at a distance.”

She paused, as old memories arose. Her life had been simpler then; household chores, studying, meals with her mother and father and siblings. Hadiyah had not seen them in years, and that was for the better, she thought. The life she’d known and the future they’d planned had ended the moment Bane had taken her from the side yard where she was hanging the washing. He’d tracked her down, just the person unlucky enough to be in heat when he needed that, then simply thrown her over his shoulder and stormed off like a wolf stealing a lamb. No one had challenged him. Beta though he was, he’d been too terrifying, and he had cuffed her to silence before her cries of terror roused the village.

He had come from the Demon. Who would have challenged him, anyway?

Hadiyah had not gone home, after that nightmare. When Bane finally thought to free her, she’d simply _ run_, as fast as her aching, blood-stained legs would carry her. Out into the desert to die of shame, she’d thought. She had been a victim, but her family would see only dishonor; she had no prospect of marriage anymore, unless Bane or Talia would have her, and Hadiyah had never wanted to see either of them again. Given Ra’s al Ghul’s attitude toward Omegas, _ he _ might have simply had her killed. 

When the Bedu found her, they’d offered her the same hospitality as they would anyone in such desperate straits, not knowing her history. She’d been out of heat by then, and she hadn’t spoken to them, wishing they would simply leave her alone. But the men had summoned their women, who had given her water, lifted her and coaxed her to follow. She’d let them, having heard of the honor codes among the nomadic tribes. It would shame them all to let her die.

But the women, who had bathed her and dressed her and certainly knew what happened, had not told the men anything. Her miserable depression led her to silence, withdrawing from them all, and in that the men had seen admirable qualities of modesty and humility. Her shame was kept secret, and the women tried to bring her around, offering her the choicest treats and sitting with her for hours, teaching her to weave. From their generosity, she’d begun to consider building a life here. 

And then she’d felt Khairah kick for the first time. 

The honor code of the desert - older than most nations in the region, older than Islam itself - demanded the death of her child’s father or sire. As for Hadiyah herself, she would either be relegated to the status of second-class citizen, a woman whose honor was gone, or she might be abandoned again.

For the first time in her life, she’d taken the initiative, and left the tribe before they knew of her situation. She’d simply walked away when they were near a city, and once there she’d stolen a tiny bottle of Alpha perfume. The theft rankled, and as soon as she could she’d sent payment anonymously to the shopkeeper, but at the time it had been necessary. Her own scent dulled by the pregnancy she was still able to conceal, Hadiyah could mask herself as Alpha and be treated with respect, given her own agency. She’d found Omegas who wanted freedom, and prayed for guidance as she led them in search of a place where they could never be owned or bartered or used again.

One of those was Omar, who had been born among the Bedu. Their tradition was to turn Omega men into women, subject to the same rules of chivalry and modesty. Even as they allowed female Alphas, rarer than male Omegas, to live like men. Omar wanted to be a man, to learn and travel and fight, so he had found suppressants and left his tribe for the city. He had met Hadiyah when they both came to rescue the same Omega girl, sold in marriage to a rich man at the age of thirteen. Omar was the one who had heard tales of an ancient city in the mountains. He and Hadiyah went searching, finding it a ruin choked by drifting sand. The little band set about rebuilding what was broken, and freeing the blocked-up spring had been their first shared triumph. They had chosen the city’s name for their shared vision of a place where no Omega would be abused or discarded, where no one would ever be shamed for violence done to them. Hadiyah had worked as hard as the rest, even as her belly grew, and Khairah had been born right here, in one of the first houses cleared. And all those years, she had never told anyone more about Khairah's lineage than that her sire was an Alpha whom Hadiyah herself had not chosen.

Makda reached to take her hand, gently, recalling her wandering mind. “Hadiyah, I would never doubt you. You have been my friend and my leader for over a decade. But I do not understand. If the Demon is Khairah’s sire, how can we trust her to keep her word?”

“You saw her lay her sword at my feet,” Hadiyah pointed out.

“So she feels guilt. She ought to. It does not make her trustworthy.” Makda was still frowning.

Khairah stirred, and Hadiyah raised an eyebrow at her. “Her Omega told me what she told him,” the girl said, apologetic. “If what he said is true…” 

Hadiyah took a deep breath. “It is a terrible thing to be the victim of an Alpha’s lust. Is it worse, perhaps, to be merely a tool? One used against that Alpha by her enemy, so your own suffering counts for less than the squeaking of a pottery wheel as the vessel is shaped? I never chose her, Makda - but neither did she choose me.”

The Beta woman’s face was set in hard lines. “Then this other the American spoke of, it is well that they killed him.”

Hadiyah sighed. “Apparently she has killed many such abusers in my name. I cannot mourn their loss, but I dislike being the cause of so much bloodshed.”

“He deserved to die,” Khairah growled.

“We are not God, to judge who ought to live or die,” Hadiyah corrected her, but softened her tone after. “I understand your anger, both of you. Even the Demon’s. There were times when I would have slain him and her both, could I have done so. But holding on to that rage only poisons my heart. Suppose I had ordered my guards to kill the Demon?”

Makda shivered at that. “If even a tenth of the tales are true, we all would have died.”

“So. It is better that I let my anger wither away. If not for that beast of a man, I would be married off by now to some Alpha or Beta of my father’s choosing, still a simple village woman. I would never have traveled, never made the friends and allies with whom I share this city, never become a leader to inspire others. This sanctuary, this place of peace and tolerance, would not exist without that violence and evil. And I might have children, but I would not have you, Khairah.” Hadiyah stroked her daughter’s shoulder gently. “I would not trade you for all the world, habibti.”

Khairah ducked her head a little, but Makda spoke up. “There is another reason to keep Khairah’s parentage a secret. If the world knew the Demon had been brought low, her reputation would suffer. And her enemies might learn the tale and think to use another Omega against her.”

“We must be careful,” Hadiyah sighed. “I will need to speak to her, to see what story must be told if Khairah is discovered.”

Khairah bit her lip worriedly. “No one _ needs _ to know.”

“The other guards already do,” Hadiyah said thoughtfully. “I will let them draw their own conclusions, for now. Perhaps they may come up with a better story than any I could spin.”

“Regardless, the truth will not leave this room,” Makda promised. “Hadiyah … you’ve suffered much, and borne it with more grace than many.”

She ducked her head at that praise, feeling it unearned. “We cannot choose our fates, only what we make of fate we’re given. I tried to make something good of my life.”

“You’ve _ always _ done that,” Khairah said earnestly, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

“And you’ve always been the best I could hope for,” Hadiyah replied, kissing her forehead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading - all comments are appreciated!


	11. Chapter 11

They were going to al-Hirz in force, the Demon making her protection of the city known, and Jay smirked as he watched Talia dress for it. He only accessorized with body armor, weapons, and the iconic red helmet, which he left off ‘til the last moment. She had to be more complicated. Armor, of course, but also heeled boots that brought her up to almost his height, the long sword hanging at her hip, the high-collared blouse heavily embroidered with gold thread, and the damn leather pants that emphasized the tautly-muscled length of her legs. They also made her ass look great, but then, with a body like hers, everything did.

And of course, the last touch, the fucking _ cloak_. Dark forest green, falling almost to her ankles, it was a deliberate reminder of the one Ra’s had often worn. Jay couldn’t help snickering as she fastened the gold clasp at her throat, looking into the mirror with a serious expression. “Something amuses you?” Talia asked, in the Demon’s dangerous tones.

“You know I love it when you wear the cape,” he told her, lounging in a nearby chair. “It’s just so _ dramatic_, T.”

She turned to him, making the cloak swirl, and yeah, okay, it was fucking hot, too. Talia looked at him intently, her eyes blazing; over the years and repeated dips in the Lazarus Pit, their color had lightened to a piercing green. “It is traditional,” she scolded him, as if they hadn’t had this conversation every single time she wore the damn thing. 

“It’s pretentious. And impractical,” he said, but he was smiling.

“I suppose I cannot blame you for having no respect for tradition,” Talia mused, and she was smiling too. “There are _ goat sheds _ in my lands older than your entire country.”

“Yeah, yeah, your _ dad _ was older than my entire country, but _ who _ landed on the moon first?” Jay challenged. He’d never say such a thing if this wasn’t an old playful argument between them.

She stood over him, arching a brow imperiously. “Who invented the mathematics that enabled that achievement? And did so at a time when _ your _ ancestors were still being sacked by the Vikings.”

Jay just leaned back to quote Sandburg to her. “That was then, this is now. ‘Come and show me another city with lifted head singing so proud to be alive and strong and coarse and cunning.’”

Talia reached out to tousle his hair with a gloved hand. “‘Under the terrible burden of destiny laughing as a young man laughs.’ Yes, it suits both you and your city. Come, you heathen son of the modern world, walk beside the daughter of ancient days and heiress of fate.”

He rolled to his feet, arms sliding around her waist, and kissed her hard enough to make her initial noise of surprise fade into a happy purr. Jay drew back to nudge Talia’s proud straight nose with his, and admitted, “I fuckin’ love the cloak. I shouldn’t, it’s cosplaying as your dad and it’s _ so _ goddamn dramatic, but you make it look good, T.”

“You’re a pestilence,” she told him, in tones more appropriate to declarations of eternal love.

“You need somebody around to keep it real, so you don’t start believing your own legend,” he told her, and dropped his hands to squeeze her rear. Talia grabbed at his forearms then, rising on tiptoe with her eyes going wide in surprise at his temerity. He just chuckled. “Let’s get this show on the road before I decide to make you late.”

“Incorrigible boy,” Talia growled, swatting his shoulder and extricating herself from his arms. But she was grinning, the warm happy smile only he got to see, the one too real and too personal for anyone else to even know it existed. That smile was worth any amount of assassin-theatrics.

The amusement faded as they set out, surrounded by armed and armored retainers, Jay fitting his helmet on and checking his guns one last time. Talia carried a revolver in a shoulder rig, another ostentatiously-decorated piece like her gold-hilted sword, but it was a .50 caliber Colt Python and just as deadly-functional as the steel blade. If she had to draw either on this trip, though, they were fucked; part of the Demon’s image was that her underlings did most of the defense for her. And if anyone _ did _ get past them, there was Jay, the killer shadowing her heels. He wouldn’t let anyone romanticize him or what he did; there was no honor it in, no oaths of fealty, no legends. He was just Red Hood, and he put the bad guys down the most efficient way possible, a bullet in the head more effective than a sword. The fact that anyone who opposed the Demon got to the top of his hit list was well known, by now.

The first part of the trip was by convoy, but al-Hirz could not be reached by any vehicle, even the modified four-wheel-drives that crossed the sands and rocks alike. The canyon the city lay in was well-fortified, and the only overland access was up a steep and rocky trail that even the modified and armored utility vehicles couldn’t traverse. When they scoped it out on their first approach, Jay had immediately dismissed that route; at one point it was narrow enough that the Bedouin’s camels could barely get through. A motorcycle could, but hauling it up the last bit of trail would be impossible, and that was the point where the traders unloaded and passed their goods up slowly. al-Hirz had a winch and crane for the worst bits, three separate climbs in quick succession where foot and handholds were carved into the stone, at a point where the trail narrowed to barely more than one man-width. The only way to take it would be by helicopter, and there were anti-aircraft guns placed to prevent that approach.

Which was why he and Talia had gone in by a circuitous route on foot, climbed over the ridge in the dark, and rappeled down a hundred-foot drop, the last time they’d come here. That had its dangers too, and the area above the city was regularly patrolled by al-Hirz’s own defenders. They were coming openly this time, so that way was out, and Jay resigned himself to a long haul. Once they got out of the truck, they’d have to walk.

Except when they parked, another contingent was already waiting, and Jay rolled his eyes to see the picket line they’d staked out in the shadow of their own vans. “Aw, crap. You brought the horses?”

“I have an image to maintain,” Talia told him. “The Demon does not come on foot like a beggar.”

“I hate this Lawrence of Arabia shit,” he muttered, and she glared him to silence. A few moments later, Talia swung into the saddle of her favorite gray stallion as easily and naturally as she took a seat in the cockpit of a helicopter, or the driver’s seat of an Italian sports car. Jay managed not to embarrass himself or her getting on a horse; he knew how to do this, he just didn’t _ like _ it. Give him an iron pony any day.

Talia stroked the stallion’s neck as he pranced, eager to be off, and once her contingent were mounted they rode along the trail, the hills around them growing higher. al-Hirz sat in a cleft in the mountainside, and when they got to the final series of climbs, they’d gained enough altitude that Jay’s ears had popped on the way.

He looked ahead, where the representatives of al-Hirz awaited them at the first set of steps. It wasn’t _ all _ straight up, thankfully, just thirty feet or so of really steep rocky scree. There was a brief landing, another such climb, and another halfway-level landing before the final obstacle, which _ was _ almost vertical. And higher than he was tall. Jay wouldn’t think anything of it, normally, but it made a nice defense when everyone coming to it had already had to scramble up the previous stretches. One or two people could hold that chokepoint easily. 

Talia gave the order to dismount, leaving a handful of her people behind to care for the horses. The guards from al-Hirz bowed respectfully, leading them to the stairs cut in the side of the slope, and it wasn’t until Jay made his way up that he realized Talia was still in the saddle. At the first landing he turned to look, a sinking feeling in his gut. She waved him on, and he shook his head. “Stubborn idiot,” he muttered.

Still, he shepherded the rest of their people up the last bit, and found Hadiyah herself waiting at the top, looking perplexed. “She’s making an entrance,” he said grimly, low enough for her ears only, and then raised his voice. “Make way for the Demon!”

They fell back, and that call was her cue, because he heard hoofbeats thundering up the trail. Jay turned to see Talia crouched low over the stallion’s neck, his mane flying, his ears laid back and then pricked forward toward the obstacle. Jay clenched his jaw as the horse scrambled up the first incline, gathering himself at the landing for the next rush.

It was a helluva lot faster than Jay would ever ride, stones tumbling beneath the horse’s hooves, and Talia couldn’t slow down because she needed momentum for the last reckless leap. Jay stepped back just in time for the agile gray horse to spring past him, making it look easy, but they were going fast enough that he had to slide to a halt once they gained the head of the trail. The stallion reared, Talia kept her seat with expert ease, and for a moment he saw her _ exactly _ as she wanted the rest to see her. The warrior with the sword at her hip, cape swirling behind her, astride the rearing horse. Pure theatrics. 

The stallion dropped back to all fours and stood blowing; despite their audience Talia took a moment to stroke his neck affectionately and murmur praise to him. Then she dismounted, handing the reins to one of her men, and stalked toward Hadiyah. Everyone from al-Hirz fell back at her approach; she’d certainly made the right impression of power and danger.

Jay whispered softly so that only Talia could hear, “_Showoff_.” She didn’t acknowledge it, not even with a look, but something about the set of her shoulders promised retribution later.

Hadiyah had been briefed, and they’d decided beforehand on the exact amount of deference to show. So her bow was yet more theater, as was Talia’s inclined head, power acknowledged by both sides. Jay hung back, watching the crowd instead of the show. If there was a problem, it’d come from one of the others, not Hadiyah herself. And not Khairah, who stood literally in her mother’s shadow, watching hawklike for the first sign of trouble. Jay caught her eye and tipped her a nod, as one backup to another.

The Demon’s contingent was to be received with a feast, and Jay put himself at Talia’s left hand, as always. Practicality trumped protocol, and since she was right-handed he defended her off side. The moment they sat for the meal and his helmet came off, he felt eyes on him. al-Hirz was a pretty diverse place, with Omegas from some distance around having found shelter here. If he and Talia had their way, it would get more so. But they didn’t have any Americans yet, and he stuck out as a foreigner.

He knew the drill, anyway, accustomed to the local etiquette. They all washed their hands first, of course. No one would start eating until the most honored guest began; that one was easy for Jay, since the seat of honor was usually Talia’s. He’d long since learned to eat with his right hand only, keeping his left off the table. When things were being served from a central platter, as in this case, he’d gotten good at using the bread to take bite-sized amounts of food. Jay knew alcohol and pork wouldn’t be on the menu - he’d long since grown used to drinking tea and eating lamb. 

And in most cases, the designations would eat separately, which was part of the reason why Jay wore Alpha perfume. He refused to be parted from Talia. Here, though, in the city of Omegas, it would be more rude to exile them both to a separate table than to commit the impropriety of dining together.

Talia raised her glass to Hadiyah’s health, and to the prosperity of al-Hirz, which everyone echoed. They fell to the food eagerly, and subdued but hopeful conversation reigned. Jay found himself sitting opposite Khairah as Talia and Hadiyah talked very carefully around their own painful history. “Hey, kid,” Jay said quietly. “How many languages do you speak?”

She narrowed her eyes at him - he decided he was going to get her used to affectionate nicknames if it killed him - but then smirked and replied in damn good English, “Four. Arabic, Farsi, French, and English. And you?”

“I’ve forgotten,” he said in French. That much was true. He still sounded like an American in most of them, much to Talia’s despair, but he spoke several fluently and could make himself understood in a dozen more. “She knows way more than me, though. French is good, we were talking about maybe going to Paris.”

Movement behind them, betrayed by faint air currents, and Jay came alert, his left hand on the butt of his gun. But as he glanced over his shoulder, he saw it was just a young woman bringing another dish to the table. She leaned between him and Talia to set it down, steaming and fragrant. Jay was looking forward to having a bite when the girl said quietly, “For your pleasure.”

And as she turned her wrist, from her sleeve rose a puff of air redolent with Omega in heat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! If you're enjoying the story so far, please consider leaving me a comment. I love interacting with readers, and you inspire me to continue.
> 
> The part I'm actually writing on is set in Gotham, but that's a ways down the road. First, we have to settle some intrigue in al-Hirz. Nothing's ever simple...


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the delay posting this chapter - I took a three day weekend and did some traveling. But here it is, and you'll get the next one on Wednesday, then back to our regularly scheduled Tuesday and Friday posting.
> 
> Thank you to everyone who's commented, bookmarked, and given kudos. I deeply appreciate you all.

Talia trusted Jay to deal with any threat in this venue, but the girl who brought them a serving of mujaddara was no threat. At least, not until she murmured a double meaning, and deliberately let her scent rise to Talia’s sensitive nose: Omega, and in potent heat.

That scent no longer overwhelmed her with lust; only _ Jay’s _ particular aroma was so intoxicating. Another Omega simply made her want _ him _ all the more. 

Or as in this case, made her angry, because the girl serving them was intentionally provoking her, and she saw horror in Hadiyah’s eyes. It was a challenge of some kind, whether of her self-control or Hadiyah’s authority or both, she did not know. Or care, yet. Talia simply looked up at the girl, knowing her pupils had dilated with incipient rut, and gave the offender her most polite smile. “Thank you,” she said urbanely, and never mind what that control cost her.

She felt Jay move slightly beside her, and from the corner of her eye saw Khairah startle. Of course, she was not the only Alpha here, and she let her expression go cold as the serving girl bowed and hurried away. Jay lifted his tea, looking at Khairah, and Talia also raised her glass. The mint in it cut across the scent of heat on her palate, a welcome relief for Khairah as well. She belatedly realized why Jay had moved; he must have kicked the girl under the table to distract her. Inelegant, but effective.

Talia weighed the wisdom of ignoring the moment, but her Alpha scent would intensify in response, and everyone near her could smell the girl when she made her exit. There could be no hiding what just happened, or her reaction to it, so it was best confronted and dealt with promptly. “That reminds me,” she said politely to Hadiyah, as if she were entirely unaffected. “I understand that some of your people may have religious objections to the use of suppressants, and I am not in the business of dictating anyone’s faith. However, if there are those among your people who prefer them, I can supply you with either Chinese traditional or Western medicine.”

“Most gracious of you,” Hadiyah replied, and perhaps only Talia saw how rattled she was. It was at least partly a challenge to her, then. “And most appreciated. I have concerns about the quality of suppressants we are able to obtain on our own, but I know that you are to be trusted implicitly in such matters.”

That response spoke neatly to her handling of the interruption, and she accepted the praise. They finished the decorous meal without further mishap, and everyone rose, Talia making sure to praise the cooks.

All the agreements of what aid the Demon would provide had been worked out in advance; all Hadiyah needed to do was sign the accord. Talia found herself restless, that brief burst of heat-scent making it difficult to stand still and calm while Hadiyah proclaimed the terms of the Demon’s protection to her people, and signed the document Talia had drafted. They both signed four copies, two to be stored here in al-Hirz, two for Talia to keep, one of which would go into a safe deposit box in Switzerland with all her other important documents.

Jay stayed close by her side, monitoring her, ready in case her control should falter. Just his scent, suppressed though it was, gave her a measure of peace. Only one act left in this little play, Khairah joining the Demon’s service, and once the documents were removed Talia turned to the girl.

To her _ daughter_. Did her father feel this tremor of unease, knowing himself responsible for her own life and education? Or did he, older and wiser as he was, believe himself eminently suited to the task? For the first time since his death, Talia found herself wishing she could ask him.

Khairah was tense, her eyes wide; that interfering Omega had unsettled her far worse than Talia. For that, Talia would have sought vengeance, but this city and its people were not hers to discipline. She forced herself to let that go, and said formally, “If you will come with me, Khairah, I will teach you everything I know of honor, wisdom, courage … and compassion. I will do my utmost to help you become an Alpha worthy of the respect of your city. I will teach you the art of war so that you can better defend those who rely on you for protection.” A pause, and she phrased the last as a question, to make it utterly clear that the girl was not coerced. “Will you come with me, Khairah?”

“I will,” Khairah replied, chin up, eyes proud, never an instant’s hesitation. Talia saw so very much of herself in the girl … and she was not unaware that Hadiyah watched them with hope and wariness in her gaze.

Talia stripped off the glove on her right hand, and rolled back her sleeve. Every Omega within twenty feet took a hurried step backward, except Jay and Hadiyah herself. Alpha in rut was the scent of their nightmares, after all.

Khariah’s nostrils flared; for her the scent was a challenge, but Talia met her gaze steadily. The girl controlled herself, and clasped Talia’s forearm, wrist to wrist, scent to scent, the oldest and most formal gesture of accord. When Khairah would have drawn back, Talia held her for a fraction of a second longer, just enough to let her strength be tested and found certain. “You are welcome, then, to join me.”

Bowing her head, Khairah murmured thanks, and Talia let her go. The formalities over, the crowd began to drift away, and Jay rolled his shoulders with a sigh. “Let’s pick up your luggage, then,” he said. 

“I haven’t much to bring,” Khairah replied, but Hadiyah took her arm. This was more about giving her and her mother a moment alone together before they left - and letting Talia speak privately to Hadiyah about the incident at dinner.

Indeed, the moment they stepped into Hadiyah’s house and closed out the rest of the settlement, the Omega turned worried eyes to Talia. “That was none of my doing,” she began.

“I know,” Talia reassured her, though her temper still flared at the memory. “It was obvious she did not act for you.”

Khairah had gone first to the packed bags by the door, but she muttered under her breath, “Whore.”

Talia looked at her, Hadiyah frowned, though it was Jay who scoffed. “Oh, so you know her? Speaking from experience there, kidlet?”

The look she gave them all was embarrassed and horrified. “No! I never… It was _ obvious _ she was trying to tempt the Demon.”

“Yes, but not from desire,” Talia said quietly. “Not in so very public a setting. I imagine her intention was to embarrass your mother, or myself, or perhaps break down the negotiations entirely by sending me into a rage.”

“Not everyone wanted to deal with the Demon,” Hadiyah admitted. “I thought the dissenters had accepted that this was the best course of action for all of us. Evidently I was wrong.”

“You got that handled, or you want our help?” Jay asked lightly.

Hadiyah shook her head. “I will deal with it. The attempt was unsuccessful, after all, which requires some leniency. Besides, what punishment could I deal out to her, knowing she was a pawn?”

“Whose pawn, though?” Talia asked, and Hadiyah frowned. Apparently there were multiple possibilities.

Khairah scoffed. “You could send her away with me. If she wants to flaunt herself before an Alpha so obviously, give her what she asked for.”

“And betray _ everything _ this city stands for?” Hadiyah countered hotly. “No Omega under my watch will be bartered away like chattel, no matter the provocation. I would banish her, if need be, but not _ that_. If she asked to leave, that would be different. Besides, we know she was not flirting, she acted on someone else’s orders. And at some risk to herself.”

An idea occurred to Talia then. “Hadiyah, _ do _ you know who ordered the disruption?” she asked.

“It’s one of three, possibly four,” Hadiyah sighed. “The more fool me, for assuming Omegas would act together out of common interest, and not scheme for advantage. I will find out. You need not concern yourself.”

“Scheming is human nature, I’m afraid,” Talia said, and looked at her frankly. “If you trust me, and if your people trust you enough not to revolt at the first hint of ill news, I can help you find out more quickly.”

Hadiyah looked distinctly nervous. “What are you suggesting?”

Talia kept her voice even, no hint of eagerness in it, though she _ wanted _ to frighten some sense into the girl who’d roused her wrath. “Summon her here. Tell your guards if you must that you will not deliver her to me, but I demand an apology. Have them tell her nothing. She will think she is being handed over - and I will ask her who gave her the order.”

“You think she’ll tell the truth?” Jay asked, thoughtful.

Talia’s smile showed a few too many teeth to be comforting as she answered him. “If an Alpha in rut commands her to, I wager she’ll be too frightened to lie.”

“And you would traumatize one of my people, just for efficiency,” Hadiyah said, disapproval freighting the words.

Talia turned to her, and bit back her first scathing retort for something more politic. “I would not put her under any more stress than I am currently feeling,” she replied. “You have no idea what it is like, to be Alpha with an Omega’s heat-scent drumming at your nose.”

“And _ you _ have no idea what it is like to be Omega, with an Alpha’s anger seeping into every corner of your home,” Hadiyah shot back.

“She’s got an idea, at least. She’s listened to me bitch about it for seven years,” Jay put in, which stopped the quarrel before it could gain momentum. “Hadiyah, it’s up to you, but think what could’ve happened if Talia wasn’t … well, _ Talia_. You could’ve had a fight right then and there, people could’ve gotten killed. Khairah would’ve been in the middle of it, too. Think about what could’ve happened to that girl. Whoever set that up was willing to risk it all to discredit you. I think you need to know who that was, and pretty quickly, before they move against you.”

“What you do with the perpetrators is no concern of mine,” Talia said softly. “I have no real authority here, by the terms of the accord we just signed. And though Jason forgets he has _ not _ the right to tell me what I will or will not do, he is still correct. I will not force you to accept my advice.” 

She cut him a quelling look, at that, meant to warn him from usurping her authority again; it was not his place to tell Hadiyah the choice was hers. And he knew, damn him, that with rut pulsing in her veins now was _ not _ the time to challenge her. He just grinned at her. “Hey, Khairah, don’t expect, like, a big tour or anything when we get back,” Jay said lazily. “I think we’re gonna need some grownup time, just to remind me who’s in charge. Right, Talia?”

Narrowing her eyes, she growled, “It would serve you right if I had you thrown in a cell and left there for the evening. Obnoxious, over-certain, stubborn ass that you are, do _ not _ defy me just now.”

Jay stepped closer, unable to resist the challenge, and Talia was aware of Hadiyah backing up, of Khairah glancing between them, unsure of what to do. But Jay only leaned into her personal space, smiling, and the taunting light in his pale blue eyes calmed her somehow. “What better way to prove how in control you are, to the person who needs to see it the most, than to piss you off when you’re like this?” he countered softly. “T, I trust you. And you should know by now I’m not gonna promise them anything I don’t already know you intend to give. You don’t want to hurt that girl, anyway.”

“There you are wrong,” Talia admitted softly. “I _ want _ to hurt her. I want to sink my teeth in her throat for her temerity and leave her behind despite the mark, so that everyone here will know I am _ not _ to be trifled with. I want to find whatever fool ordered that and beat them senseless for trying to make _ me _ a pawn in their games. I want blood on my knuckles by sundown, and after that…” 

Talia trailed off, and reached to touch his collarbone, her fingers skimming feather-light across the well-marked scent gland hidden under his body armor. Her voice was a low, sensual growl as she finished, “You _ do _ need a reminder of who rules here.”

Jay looked at her seriously, and spoke even more quietly than she had. “Yeah, I get that, even suppressed I can smell it on you. But T, more than any of that, you _ never _ want another Omega to look at you the way Hadiyah did, when we first got here. So you won’t do any of that. Except the part about putting me in my place, which I’ll be honest, I’m kinda looking forward to anyway.”

She blinked, and looked over at Hadiyah, seeing the trepidation on her face. At least it wasn’t outright terror, but she _ remembered _ that look in those eyes, and it froze her. Talia closed her eyes, and mastered her temper, taking a deep breath and letting it out in a sigh.

“First lesson, Khairah,” she said aloud. “Always keep someone around you who is unafraid to speak truth to power. They will complicate your life and make you uncomfortable, but that is far better than letting your worst nature rule you.”

“You’re welcome,” Jay said.

“You’re an ass,” Talia told him.

“But I’m _ yours_,” he countered, and she couldn’t help smiling. Then he turned to Hadiyah, and asked, “So are we doing this, or not?”


	13. Chapter 13

Twenty minutes later, Jay and Khairah were out of sight, watching around the edge of a doorway as Hadiyah answered the guards’ knock and let the Omega they escorted in. Their duty discharged, the guards left, and the Omega - whose name was Qamar - inclined her head to Hadiyah. “I apologize for the disruption, Lady Hadiyah,” she said humbly. “I was overcome.”

Khairah scoffed, very quietly, and Jay agreed with her. Her contrite mien was just an act. They’d see what she was really made of in a minute.

“I am not the one to whom you owe an apology,” Hadiyah said sternly, and stepped aside.

Talia stalked in from the hallway, radiating Alpha: anger and lust and danger. Just the sight of her, the predatory look in her eyes, made Jay swallow a hungry purr. Beside him, Khairah tensed, reacting to another Alpha’s implicit challenge.

Qamar looked startled, then frightened, then Jay thought he caught a glimpse of something calculating in her eyes before she cast her gaze downward. “If I have offended the Demon, I am unworthy of forgiveness.”

“Correct,” Talia said, a growl in her voice. Not even the nasal filters she wore could distort the threatening tone. “Yet forgiveness may still be yours. I can be merciful, when I choose.”

She closed the distance as she spoke, and Jay smiled as he watched. To him, her dominance signified pleasure, not threat, and he caught Khairah looking askance at him. He just grinned at her. Confidence was always attractive; Alpha arrogance and surety was sexy as hell, at least on Talia.

Risking a glance, Qamar saw that Hadiyah had backed off, waiting near the hall. She was alone now, facing the Demon, something that braver men and women feared to do. Talia waited for the girl to meet her eyes before giving the command. “Tell me who ordered you to tempt me.”

Qamar parted her lips to speak, then shook her head. “The notion was mine alone.”

“Liar,” Talia snarled, and Jay saw Qamar and Hadiyah both flinch. _ Careful, T, _ he thought, ready to dive in and stop this if it went too far.

“You are the strongest Alpha I’ve ever seen,” Qamar said quickly. “Instinct demands…” 

“_Sense _ demands you keep yourself sequestered while in heat, at least when you _ know _ an Alpha will be visiting your city,” Talia interrupted. She could not _ quite _ stand still, shifting her weight restlessly as she spoke. “According to your leader, you have more wit than to lose your head so easily. _ Someone _ told you to disrupt the meeting. We already know this was an attempt at treachery; you will only be confirming it.”

Shaking her head again, Qamar insisted, “There is no one else. I thought to advance myself from this place.”

“Do you think such transparent lies can fool the Demon?” Talia snarled again, and lunged, grabbing the collar of Qamar’s dress. Leaning in close, her voice crackled with the weight of command, “_Give me the name._”

Jay thought that would be it, that an Omega in heat - and unused to defying Alphas - would cave. Hadiyah had thought so, too, and had reluctantly agreed to this thinking it would go no further. But Qamar had one last trick left up her sleeve.

She seized Talia’s face, and kissed her roughly. 

Hadiyah swore in horrified surprise, but dared not interfere. Khairah tensed in shock, and Jay didn’t have time to wonder what was going through the kid’s mind. Surprise, maybe some jealousy too, none of it mattered. What mattered was the presumptuous bitch knocking the filters askew and kissing _ his _ Alpha with tongue, delivering all those heat pheromones right past any possibility of defense. 

He was already moving into the room, ready to pry her away, when Talia jerked back with a furious curse. She _ flung _ Qamar up against the wall, startling a yelp of pain and surprise from her, and pinned her in place.

Hadiyah called out in dismay as Qamar bared her throat, instinctively, and Jay dropped his hand to his gun, wanting to kill her for making that offer to _ his _ Alpha. Never mind that it was out of desperation and fear, not desire. But Talia leaned in, growling, and Jay hesitated.

For an instant, they all froze, Talia’s teeth framing Qamar’s pulse, and then she drew back. Slowly, every move fraught with the intensity of her control, and she did not release the Omega, keeping her pinned to the wall. “I am not the lust-maddened beast you think me,” Talia said, enunciating every syllable. And then her voice dropped into a savage growl to add, “I _ am _ a monster, make no mistake, but not because I am Alpha. Because I am the Demon, because life everlasting is mine, because _ your _ life is mine if I will it, for having offended me.”

Qamar trembled, wide-eyed, and this time when Talia demanded the name of who had orchestrated the disturbance, she gave them one. And Hadiyah looked down, shaking her head. “He should have known better,” she sighed.

“Do with your people as you think best,” Talia said, releasing Qamar at last with a contemptuous shove. “It is none of my concern.”

Hadiyah looked warily at her, then turned to the fearful Omega. “Qamar, they will know you betrayed them. You are safest here, with me. Go to the guest room.”

Clearly shaken, Qamar fled. Which left Jay standing behind Talia, Khairah watching them all thoughtfully, and Hadiyah stepping back worriedly.

Talia turned to look at her, eyes dilated in rut, but her expression was full of concern. “Do not fear me,” she said softly, despite the rage and frustration pouring off of her. “By all I hold dear, I would never harm _ you_, Hadiyah.”

And that was an unpleasant reminder that while Talia was Jay’s first Alpha, he wasn’t her first Omega. He had never thought to be jealous of Hadiyah, given the misery of her shared past with Talia, but the way Talia looked at her now stung him. He was used to that tender protectiveness being only for _ him_. This _ was _ the mother of Talia’s child, after all, something he would never be.

Hadiyah obviously didn’t know how to take that, taking another step back uncertainly, and Talia unconsciously mirrored it with a step forward. Jay half expected her to flee, but Hadiyah moved forward instead, her shoulders stiffening with resolve. “I am not yours to protect,” she said, in solemn tones that brooked no argument.

The statement soothed Jay’s temper, but clearly startled Talia, by her expression. For a moment, she just stared, and then said in confusion, “Whatever happened to ‘I will go with you anywhere you choose’?”

Hadiyah managed a short laugh. “Killing you in your sleep was still a possible option, then.”

Talia looked offended at first, but Jay chuckled. “If you were the kind of Alpha who’d take that kind of bargain, babe, you’d deserve it.”

That got exactly the reaction he was hoping for. “_Babe?_” she said disdainfully. “When I am _ how _ many years your senior? Do show some logic in your choice of pet names.”

“You’re a total babe, though,” Jay said teasingly, and she glared at him for a moment before shaking her head, the tension dissolving. 

“You’re right,” she said ruefully. “I was more surprised to hear you advocate violence, Hadiyah. I thought you a pacifist.”

“I am, for the most part,” Hadiyah replied. “There are almost always better solutions than killing. I would do _ whatever _ was necessary, though, to protect my city and my daughter.”

“Duly noted,” Talia said, with a respectful nod. 

That put them back on equal footing, and also soothed the last flicker of jealousy in Jay’s heart. Only he knew Talia well enough to say exactly what would defuse a situation. And he was the only one who could accept - even revel in - the innate violence of the Demon’s lifestyle. Talia knew that; she was just protective of Hadiyah, not interested in anything else. 

With a little of that pride in his voice, Jay said, “C’mon, let’s get this show on the road. Hadiyah has plenty to deal with, and we’ll only be in the way.”

Talia let out a sigh, raking her hands through her hair. “You really are most vexing, being so often right. Very well. Hadiyah - thank you. For trusting me.”

Another long look between them, and Hadiyah inclined her head graciously. “Thank you, as well, for being worthy of my trust. If I had known who you truly are years ago…” 

“I was not always safe to know,” Talia replied. “Thank _ him _ that I can be trustworthy.”

“I didn’t do that,” Jay pointed out. “I just helped you kill your dad.”

As Hadiyah and Khairah both looked at him, startled, Talia shook her head. “You have a gift for stating things in the worst possible light,” she remarked. “Jason … if not for you, I might have gone on living a lie, and being my father’s daughter, for a very long time.”

“Then I’m glad I was the kick in the ass you needed at the time,” Jay replied. 

The leavetaking was formal, though Hadiyah and Khairah embraced for a long moment. Jay pretended not to hear the girl sniffling as she joined them. 

All the way out they were watched, which made Jay uneasy given the intrigue they’d uncovered. It might’ve been a reaction to Qamar being summoned to Hadiyah’s house, or it might just have been the cloud of aggressive pheromones they were traveling in. Either way, he was glad to be leaving.

Talia climbed down the steepest set of stairs, letting her stallion make the treacherous jump unimpeded by a rider, and Jay’s shoulders itched to see her briefly vulnerable. They mounted up at the bottom of the trail, and Talia watched to see if Khairah would need help, but she climbed into the saddle and gathered up the reins with more ease than Jay. As they rode to where the vehicles were parked, Talia let her stallion drift close to Khairah. “Have you been out of al-Hirz often?” she asked.

“On patrols and supply trips,” Khairah answered. “I’ve been to the city. You don’t need to act as if you’re taking on a completely uncultured swine.”

Jay laughed at that. “No, that was me. I spent most of my life in one city and now I know how to ask for directions in Cantonese.”

Talia gave him a _ look_, and he sighed. “Look, T. You’re both Alphas. That means you’re gonna butt heads. So I, as your Omega and thus the person with the privilege of taking care of _ you_, have taken on the responsibility of defusing any and all tension. Okay? I’m just … grounding the static. I know you have to get to know each other and build a relationship and all that, but it’ll be easier if you’re not bristling at each other all the time.”

“He can speak like a civilized person,” Khairah marveled.

Jay nudged his horse closer, and took the time to enunciate each word when he spoke. “I will have you know, young lady, that I scored the highest marks in my class on every language composition exam. I still read classical literature in my spare time, purely for amusement. I am, in fact, as thoroughly well-educated a nerd as you could imagine.” He smirked, and dropped it to continue, “I’m also from the Gotham gutter, and fewer people test me if they hear me talk like it. Which saves me busting any more heads than I have to. Also if people think I’m a thug, when I _ do _ have to throw down, they get all surprised when I outsmart ‘em.”

“It’s camouflage,” Talia added. “Which I have always known.”

“Yeah, and I also do it to poke at you, because you can get all caught up in being the Demon and I can’t stand pretension,” Jay reminded her. “It’s not _ you_. Not who you really are, anyway.”

“You are in a privileged position, of knowing me as more than the Demon,” Talia reminded him.

“Lucky me,” he replied. “I also know you’re both on edge still. We’ve got mint oil in the car, that should help, but it’s gonna take time to settle down.”

Talia looked at him oddly, and when he raised his eyebrows at her, she said, “I did not expect you to be so … proactive, about all of this.”

By way of answer, he held out his hand, wrist up. His sleeve covered the tattoo, but she knew it was there. And even now, surrounded by her men, Talia went still and solemn at the reminder. “I’m yours, and you’re mine,” Jay said softly. “That means _ no matter what, _ Talia. You’ve got a kid? Okay, I’m a stepdad. I may not be a hopeless romantic like some people I know, but damn, I understand _ commitment_.”

Talia bit her lip, looking at him, and that was his lover - more than his Alpha, more than the Demon, at heart she was only Talia, and _ his _ \- shining in her gaze. “You truly are a blessing,” she told him.

“So are you,” he replied, holding her gaze for a moment so she knew he meant it.

And that was also about enough serious relationship talk to last Jay for a week. He turned back to Khairah with a flippant grin. “So, here’s the deal. You’re young, you’ve lived in the same place your whole life, and we’re about to uproot you and fling you across the face of the globe. You’re looking forward to it, because you _ are _ young, and you’re Alpha enough to wanna go test yourself and see what you’re made out of. But you don’t need to snap at Talia when she asks a civil question. It’s not an insult - you can pretty much assume that both of us are not trying to be jerks to you.”

She nodded cautiously, and he continued, “That said, you’re fifteen. We both have the advantage of experience. You can make your life a lot easier by listening to us. And the biggest piece of advice I can give you now, is don’t try to measure yourself by picking fights with the biggest, baddest Alpha I’ve personally ever seen.”

“I am not certain I deserve that distinction,” Talia said archly.

“You do,” he replied with a chuckle.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Be it noted, there is smut in this chapter.

Home again, Khairah settled in despite their distraction, and the moment the door closed behind them Talia was all over him. “You are _ mine_,” she growled, though her tone was warm and dark with desire.

Jay had known this was coming and looked forward to it. “I could almost thank Qamar for this,” he chuckled, then Talia buried her hands in his hair and stole his mouth for a kiss. All the way to the bedroom she was handsy and hot-blooded, both of them shedding their body armor as they moved through the suite. Jay laughed in delight at the look in her eyes; he was just too damn lucky, being the one who benefitted from that ham-fisted attempt at manipulation.

“Hush,” she growled, but it was more playful than angry, even if their play tonight was going to be pretty rough. Looking forward to that, he caught her hips to press her against the wall. Jay had the advantage of height and weight, and he was _ almost _ at her level of martial arts skill, but he wouldn’t be able to hold her for long. She liked him to push her into turning the tables, though, and truth be told, he liked goading her into displays of dominance.

Talia fought back, laughing as she rarely did when sparring. She slipped out of his grasp, smacked his shoulder playfully, and Jay yanked her close again. They scuffled, careful not do any real harm, but there would be plenty of bruises tomorrow. Talia broke his hold and bit his arm with a teasing growl; Jay wrapped that arm around her head and tousled her hair. She kicked his shin, indignant, and tickled his side to make him let go. Before he could grab her again, Talia caught his wrist and used his momentum to throw him to the ground. Jay bounced back up, getting warmed up now, and rushed her. 

Half a dozen times they pinned each other and broke free, until Jay finally managed to get her against the wall again. “Qamar can’t offer you her throat,” he growled, stealing her lips for a kiss. Talia hummed against his mouth, smiling, and he broke away to fix her with a bold stare. “You’re _ mine_. _ My _ Alpha, now and always.”

And watched how those words made her eyes dilate with all the insistence of rut. “_Yes_,” Talia breathed, and yanked him close for another searing kiss. “Yours, always, as you are _ mine_.”

Jay grinned, his hands roaming her flanks, and dove in to bite at her throat as if marking her. Talia gasped and arched against him, shivering as he sucked against her skin. “Domineering wretch of an Omega,” she muttered, and twisted free, spinning to pin him in turn.

“You’ve got better curses than that in you,” he teased as she yanked at his shirt-collar, nipping his neck in urgent haste. Though it made his breathing raspy, he still managed to add, “Call me a son of a dog’s religion, that’s my favorite.”

“You beautiful arrogant bastard,” she growled instead, and sank her teeth in just over his scent gland. Pressure and pain lit up his nerves, and Jay groaned, grinding against her. It was so damn _ good _ to be this wanted. Talia had probably drawn blood, and she let go only to declare in a voice thick with lust, “You think you can have it all, you thrice-damned hedonist, I’ve spoiled you far too much…” 

“Yeah you have,” he laughed, and pulled his shirt all the way off for her. Talia’s nails skimmed over his chest and her growl hummed against his skin as she pressed into him, all hunger, biting her mark into his flesh. She’d damn near climb him right here, he knew, but that was rut driving her. And Jay knew how to make that even sweeter.

He’d been on full suppressants since he was old enough to safely take them. For his health, he came off them for one heat cycle every other year, and Talia tried so goddamned hard to pretend she didn’t watch the calendar hungrily. They took a week off, someplace safe, and they both had non-hormonal contraception on board anyway. It was a week of total debauchery, food and wine and all the sex they could stand.

And he’d be lying if he didn’t look forward to it, too. The sex was so incredibly good it was damn near addictive, and that was one reason why they didn’t do it more often. It’d be too easy to convince himself they should do that _ all _ the time, just come off suppressants entirely, and then they’d never get anything worthwhile done again.

But there were still ways. “Let me go for a minute, T,” he suggested.

“Why should I do that?” she purred, slipping his belt through the buckle with negligent ease.

Two could play at that game, and he cupped her breasts just the way she liked. She gasped when he touched her, absolutely gratifying, and Jay let her arch into it for a moment before whispering, “Let me get the rose oil.”

Talia whimpered in a way she’d _ never _ let herself if she wasn’t in rut. Attar of rose was just the base of that particular blend of essential oils; it mimicked the scent of an Omega in heat really, _ really _ well. Enough so to be very illegal in most places. 

They didn’t use it every time. Just when one of them really needed the stress relief of letting go entirely, being swept up like this. And she was spun up high enough just being in al-Hirz, not to mention getting that whiff of Qamar’s heat, that Talia really needed to work _ through _ this rut rather than against it.

“You truly are the randiest Omega I’ve ever known,” Talia breathed with a wildness in her eyes that he’d grown to adore. She let him go to get the oil, but couldn’t stop touching him entirely, her hand on the small of his back as she followed.

“Yeah, and whose fault is that?” Jay asked. It was just a small vial, kept inside a larger bottle and sealed in plastic; he really didn’t need this stuff breaking open by accident. That’d be _ real _ awkward.

As he popped the lid, Talia’s arms slid around his waist, and she nuzzled his shoulder with a low thrumming purr. “So you blame me for your lust?” she asked, and one hand slipped down to stroke the growing bulge in his pants. 

“Hell yeah I do,” he laughed huskily, slicking a drop of oil over each wrist, under the points of his jaw, in the hollow of his throat. It was faint at first; as it warmed on his skin, the scent would grow stronger, more inviting. He wouldn’t ever make the same mistake as the first time, when he used way too much because he couldn’t smell it at first, and they were late _ and _ walking funny to an important meeting the next day. 

As he applied the oil, Jay told her, “You’re the one who taught me how fucking good it can be, with an Alpha who knows what she’s doing. If _ you _ weren’t such a great lay, _ I _wouldn’t be such a horny bastard.”

The crude language was deliberate provocation, and he capped the vial before turning to her. Talia’s eyes blazed, and she muttered, “You damn me with faint praise,” before catching his hand. There was a little oil left on his fingertips, and she licked it off, shuddering as it hit her on top of her earlier reaction to Qamar. Jay shivered too, because she took his fingers in her mouth and sucked on them the _ exact _same way she took his cock, and hell, that was why he didn’t have to be in heat to want her so desperately.

She looked up at him through her lashes, very deliberately, as she pulled his hand from her mouth, dragging her tongue along his fingers. That look was all Alpha, hunger and possession and lust that caught them both afire. And then she growled, _ “Mine,” _ as she pressed him back toward the bed, the declaration of belonging sparking still more heat in his belly.

“Yours,” he agreed, and stretched his neck to offer her his throat. That ritualized gesture slowed her down a little, Talia taking the time to kiss his racing pulse.

She was far too hungry to wait long, and pushed him down onto the bed, her eyes blazing. Jay hurriedly kicked his pants off before she could cut them in her impatience, and then Talia all over him, her kisses leaving bruises of possession. Just listening to her _ breathe _ when she was like this turned him on, panting raggedly to get more of his scent. Right now, she didn’t care about anything but him, shedding the last of her clothes hastily between nips and caresses.

Jay wanted her, he’d been ready for her since that first greedy bite to his throat, and even though he wasn’t in heat, he was slick enough that she could take him easily. Talia’s eyes slipped closed with a moan of pure lust, and she had no time for the slow and playful taunting they both enjoyed. That was fine, Jay liked urgency as well as tenderness, and when she leaned over to kiss him he buried his hands in her hair and let the artificial heat-scent at his wrists inflame her more. 

All impatience, rough and sweet and fast and deep, and Jay knew he’d be sore tomorrow but just couldn’t bring himself to care. Not with Talia setting a hungry rhythm and cursing him breathlessly in a dozen languages from Arabic to Cantonese to Urdu. In rut was the only time she was really _ vocal_, and God did he love it.

She brought them both to climax quickly, the first time, but Jay knew she could go again soon. He held Talia close, running his hands over the muscles of her back as tension finally bled out of her. It didn’t take long for her to catch her breath and whisper, “Again, you impossible man, you make me insatiable, _ God _ how I can’t wait to have you in heat again begging under me and … _ hnh, Jay, _ ** _yes_**_!” _ He cut her off by arching up to her, catching her hips to drive her in as deep as possible.

That was another thing, only in rut would she admit how fierce her own lust for him was. He knew she was wary of anything like weakness, and the strength of her emotions always qualified, to her. It’d scare the hell out of him, honestly, if it wasn’t so damn sexy. She sounded sometimes like she’d eat him alive if she could, take everything he was all the way down to the marrow.

Once more like that before she collapsed beside him, panting in satisfaction. Jay grinned blissfully and reached to stroke her cheek. “Damn, you’re good,” he said huskily. 

She nipped at his fingers, playful. “_You _ are delightful. Spoiled though you are.”

Jay caught her chin and nudged his nose against hers. “Still complaining about me being spoiled. You’re the one who spoils me, though, so whose fault is it, really?”

“If you must have so - yes, the fault is mine,” she laughed, and kissed him back thoroughly. “You are so very good to me, too, in your turn.”

“I learned from the best,” he teased, and kissed her back with something like bliss.

She hummed contentment against his lips, and then snuggled back into him again. “I do love you,” Talia told him. “So very much, Jason.”

“I love you, too,” he said, and they didn’t say it often, careful not to dull the words with overuse. But every time they said it, they both made damn sure to _ mean _ it.


	15. Chapter 15

Khairah’s training began the next morning, just after breakfast. She raised an eyebrow at the fresh bite marks on Jay’s throat, but made no comment. Talia let Jay work on her hand to hand skills first, observing them. Someone had clearly taught the girl to fight; she squared up and assessed her opponent and then used her strengths effectively. She favored power over finesse, taking the offensive and opting for body blows meant to hammer an opponent into submission. It was rather the natural style of an Alpha.

Jay met her strike for strike, at first. He knew how to block a punch or kick, and also how to take the blows without taking too much damage. He let Khairah spend her first nervous energy, complimenting her or correcting her form only slightly, and then as she settled he changed up his own style.

He had learned to fight, initially, at a very young age, when most of his opponents had the advantage of weight and strength and reach over him. So he knew how to use speed and deception and leverage, and though he had grown into a powerful man indeed, he had never lost his agility. Watching him was a study in the art of war.

Khairah found herself hard-pressed to adapt. And even though Jay was holding back, not using the full measure of his strength, it quickly became apparent that she had never learned to take hits properly. She was getting angry when Talia stepped in and stopped them. Khairah was near winded; Jay breathed faster, his skin sheened with sweat, but he had more endurance.

“You need more conditioning,” Talia said, and saw that anger flare again. Bittersweet nostalgia curved her lips into a smile. She’d been so much the same at that age, though her father had been more zealous in trying to break her of it than she intended to be in training Khairah. To soften the censure, Talia said, “A morning run, I think, for all of us.”

“Aw, come on,” Jay complained. “I was thinking weights and a heavy bag. We’ll put more muscle on her.”

“She is never going to be your height, nor will she have your raw power,” Talia replied, tying her hair back absently. “Even as I do not. Though Alphas _ do _ gain muscle mass more quickly than Betas or Omegas, we are still women. It is necessary for us to outlast a stronger opponent - and then to have the skill to bring him down, when we’ve broken his wind.”

“I’ll keep up,” Khairah promised gamely.

Talia favored her with a smile. “You also need to mind your temper. Anger can be your ally, it can give you strength to finish a fight, but it robs you of accuracy and judgment. Jay, a demonstration?”

He took a deep breath, shrugged his shoulders, and let it out. He knew she was doing this to let Khairah get her breath back without being too obvious about it, and he grinned. “Sure.”

“Good.” And Talia stepped back, into guard position, her hands up as she eyed him carefully. “Hit me.”

Jay exploded into motion as soon as the words left her lips, all power and speed, his fist flying at her face. Talia dodged, catching his forearm and pulling him off balance, a kick to the back of his knee sending him tumbling to the practice mats. “That only worked _ once_,” she complained, as Jay rolled back up, grinning, and came at her again.

“Someday it’ll work again,” he replied, dancing in with quick feints, testing her guard.

“Not if you keep trying it _ every time_,” she scolded, but couldn’t hide her playful smile. “The point of a surprise attack is that I shouldn’t _ expect _ it.”

Jay lunged again, Talia leapt back, and Khairah had to move out of the way. To the girl, she said, “He just tried to push me into stumbling over you. He knows how to use his environment to his advantage. It’s a skill you will also learn.”

This was not a true sparring session, so Talia did not make as much effort as usual to win. She would have stood and simply taken that first punch, except her very nature cried out against it - and getting her blood up with sparring let her reaction show more naturally. Jay eventually found a hole in her guard, caught her wrist, and trapped her. He nailed her three times in rapid succession, shoulder-shoulder-ribs, as she tried to break his hold, and then she tapped his bicep with her free hand. “Enough.”

He let her go, and they both stood back, Talia rubbing her shoulder with a frown. Then she caught Khairah’s gaze. “Pain summons anger - we are Alphas, we have little inclination to submit, and when hurt we tend to fight harder. That would be counterproductive, as just now. If I had not yielded, I might eventually get free, but he could have broken ribs - or my jaw - while I struggled. You must strive to master your instinct, always.”

“Especially since training hurts,” Jay put in. “We’re not gonna beat on you just because we can, but pain is a good teacher. Taking hits will teach you how to block without needing to think about it. Don’t worry, there’s a hot tub and muscle liniment at the end of the day, plus a masseuse on staff.”

Talia stepped back, and nodded to the pair of them. “Back to work.”

The sparring went on, Jay stopping to show her new moves and holds, and Talia saw that he was a good trainer. Likely better than she was. He had the patience and humor to cajole Khairah out of the flashes of sullenness that came from being a young Alpha forcing herself to fight a losing battle.

She could not help comparing it to her own early training, which had been brutal. Worth it, to her younger self, for her father’s approval, but he had doled that out sparingly, so as to keep her striving hungrily for it. Her father’s tutelage had left her plagued by doubt, and Talia had never honestly addressed that, relying on denial and arrogance. Watching Khairah work, seeing how Jay coaxed a smile out of her even when she was getting tired and bruised, Talia realized Jay’s teaching would better build her confidence. 

Her mouth tasted bitter at her own memories, alternating between being her father’s pet and favorite child, and the disappointment who could never rule as his heir. He had made her a formidable warrior, but she knew herself to be a brittle blade in some respects. Sharper for her flaws, utterly deadly, yet vulnerable in ways she loathed. Jay was crafting something altogether different with Khairah, a sort of weapon that might not hold the same edge, but would last longer.

Talia let herself get lost in reverie, until she heard the harmonics of command in Khairah’s voice. She snapped back to the present, bristling, and saw that the girl had used it for tactical advantage, ordering Jay to freeze. He was not so easy to dominate as that, but the second of hesitation had let her score a hit.

Jay was grinning with amusement, but Talia moved anyway. Four long steps, his gaze shifting to her warned Khairah, and the girl started to turn. It didn’t matter, Talia caught her with a swift knife-hand strike to the shoulder than numbed her arm and made her stumble. Then Talia’s arm was around her throat, pulling her back, dragging her off her feet.

“Easy, T, it’s a valid technique,” Jay said, starting to come to the girl’s defence. He would always stand up for the underdog, Talia thought.

“It _ is _ a valid technique, in battle,” Talia growled in Khairah’s ear. _ “Be still.” _

Command-voice should not have worked on another Alpha, but this one was young - and of her blood. Khairah stopped struggling, and Talia eased up her hold, maintaining control without choking her. Softly, her voice velvet over steel, Talia told her, “This is not battle, it is only sparring. And you will _ not _ command _ my _ Omega again, unless you wish to challenge me. That, dear Khairah, would be extremely unwise.”

“So much for not owning him,” Khairah spat back resentfully.

Talia fought down the urge to cut off her circulation until she passed out in retaliation for that remark. Instinct was irksome enough regarding Omegas; dealing with another Alpha was going to be an endless fight against biology. This was her _ daughter_, she acted out of instinct instead of malice, and Talia had to be gentle with her. The last thing she wanted was to treat Khairah as harshly as Ra’s had her - but she could not stand to watch _ anyone _ command Jay. 

She said evenly, “Jay is not mine to own or order about. But he is mine to protect, especially from other Alphas. Even from you. I will not have you test your abilities on _ him_.”

“Then who’s gonna be her guinea pig?” Jay asked, raising an eyebrow.

Glaring at him, Talia said, “The voice of command is instinctive, an act of will, not a skill to learn. _ If _ she requires lessons in such specifics, then you as the only Omega around would still need to _ agree _ to acting in that capacity beforehand. You are more than a sharpening stone, Jason.”

He gave her a crooked grin. “Fine, I see your point, but could you _ not _ choke the kid out over it?”

Talia released her hold, and Khairah stepped away, making a production out of rubbing her throat. “If I’d been choking her she would be unconscious now,” Talia said, giving Jay a quelling look that had no effect whatsoever on his attitude. 

“Nobody got hurt, I’m not offended, we’re all okay,” Jay said, and Talia wondered if he knew just how much of an Omega he was being, adopting the role of peacemaker. He looked at Khairah with a small smile, and said, “Do I have to tell you both to shake hands and make up?”

That was a hint to her as well; Talia did not want to alienate her daughter. She turned to Khairah, and took a deep breath, steeling herself against revealing personal secrets. “As an Alpha, it is very easy to become overprotective of Omegas in general, especially of one you consider your own. That, you already know, having grown up in a city full of them.”

Khairah gave a dry little chuckle. “Yes, well, I _ did _ try to attack you both, knowing in the first exchange of blows I was probably going to die for it.”

“We are all fortunate that night ended differently,” Talia said. “In any case, I would not have harmed a child.”

“I am not a child,” Khairah protested.

Talia mastered her temper and raised one hand in a request for patience. “You are twenty years my junior. You will _ always _ be a child in my eyes, even decades from now when we both have gray in our hair. My point was, you must guard yourself against becoming _ too _ overprotective. Some Omegas might appreciate your care, but most of them prefer to manage their own affairs. And no matter what our designations, we are all human. It is the nature of humankind to yearn for freedom. We cannot stifle Omegas even to protect them.”

“Which as long as I’m around, you won’t have to worry about, because I’ll kick up a fuss at the first hint of smothering,” Jay supplied. “Back to work?”

Talia nodded, and not for the first or last time wondered just what the hell she’d gotten herself into, agreeing to take on the raising of an Alpha.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there readers - if you're enjoying this story, please consider leaving a comment. I really enjoy talking to you all, and comments help me gauge whether I'm hitting the right notes, plot-wise and in emotional terms.
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	16. Chapter 16

They’d gotten into a routine of training and working out and general education, under which Khairah seemed to be thriving. Jay watched, especially, for the relationship she was building with Talia. It was hesitant, complicated as only two Alphas could be, but he could tell that Talia badly wanted to be close to the girl. 

Khairah couldn’t help seeing Talia as both a person to be admired, and an ideal against which to measure herself. Her eyes were always on her sire during their morning runs, trying to match her effortless pace. When Talia taught her yoga poses and tai chi to stretch and loosen her muscles, the girl frowned in concentration, causing more tension as she tried to emulate Talia’s grace and poise. It didn’t matter how many times Talia reassured her that those skills could not be learned overnight; Khairah saw her sire’s accomplishments and launched herself at them like a mountain to be climbed.

Jay tried to cut down on that, making sure Khairah got to see the personal side, too. Like Talia’s fondness for poetry, the library full of volumes in many tongues, and Jay scored it a win when he convinced Talia to read to both of them after lunch, most days. The drowsy heat of afternoon was perfect for sipping cold tea and discussing elegant turns of phrase. Talia even convinced him to read passages from his own favorite works, though his taste ran to novels instead of poetry. Khairah listened like a sponge, soaking up every word, and to his amusement he started hearing traces of his own Gotham accent in her English.

Talia shared her delight in high fashion, taking Khairah shopping for clothes and accessories. They didn’t go far on those trips, but Talia bent her ear with tales of fashion week in Paris, Milan, and New York, all the amazing designers whose work would be showcased. Jay, who still favored jeans and a t-shirt for everyday wear, only followed those conversations to watch the two women grow closer. 

Most telling was Talia’s genuine love for her horses. Sharing that was sharing a piece of her heart. The three of them sat up all night, for three nights running, over a pregnant mare worryingly past her due date, and when she finally dropped the foal, Khairah got to see the never-dimmed wonder in Talia’s eyes as the gangly thing took its first steps.

That was a more difficult labor than usual, and the mare trusted Talia, while Khairah had the smallest hands. It had been Khairah who reached in to properly position the front legs, while Talia held the mare’s halter and coached her through it, and Jay stuck to the support role of bringing towels and water and the vet kit. He was worried about the little colt, seemingly all legs, struggling to get up again and again. Once it gained command of those sprawling limbs and tottered to its mother’s side, Jay breathed a sigh of relief. And Khairah laughed without any of her usual reserve as the foal’s short brushy tail wagged with excitement at nursing.

Talia saw it, too, and said, “You brought him into the world. He is yours.”

Khairah looked stunned, and so did Jay - she was _ very _ careful of those horses. Ancient bloodlines her father had further developed over the centuries, fast and hardy and intelligent, they were extremely valuable even before counting sentimental reasons. Talia continued, “It will be years before he is ready to be ridden, and I will see you supplied with other mounts until then. But training a horse, hawk, or hound is good for the soul.”

“You don’t even like dogs,” Jay teased gently.

“Dogs, no,” Talia said. “They are base creatures. Salukis are not dogs, they are closer to the wolf than any other breed.”

Jay snorted then, because there were a handful of silky-eared sighthounds around the place, but those weren’t pets. Some of Talia’s people kept them for hunting, and he’d seen them run. They moved like the horses, swift as the wind. But they certainly didn’t look _ wolfish _ compared to, say, an Alaskan malamute.

Talia arched a brow at him, knowing why he scoffed. “I do not mean in looks. In behavior, they are noble. Unlike mere dogs they are cleanly and intelligent and do not fawn. Like our horses and falcons, we have not yet bred the wild entirely out of them, so they require patience and understanding to train. A dog will follow the command of a master who beats him, so long as he is fed. The true hunting sighthound, whether you call him saluki or sloughi or azawakh or tazi or borzoi, still has enough nobility of character that he must be treated as a partner, not a slave.”

“So they’re Alphas, basically, and regular dogs are Omegas,” Jay said, and Talia and Khairah both rolled their eyes at him.

Talia corrected, “If you must make the comparison, ordinary dogs are Betas. I have not yet met a dog with the devious underhanded cunning I’ve come to expect from Omegas.”

“Oh, _ burn_,” Jay laughed, not taking offense. 

He sat back and watched as Talia and Khairah helped the mare clean her colt, and eventually they all left the new mother to her work. All of them were exhausted and elated, so Talia agreed to skip their morning run and training in favor of showers and sleep. A day of rest would be welcome after sleepless nights.

Jay, though, found himself restless after a couple hours’ nap. In this climate, not much happened during the hottest part of the day, so he got up and wandered the halls of the compound for a while, feeling like he had the entire place to himself. Eventually he headed for the library, figuring he’d read until he either felt sleepy again, or Talia woke up.

When he opened the door and walked into the room that smelled of old books and leather bindings, though, he found something entirely unexpected: Khairah snuggled up in one of the reading chairs, with a young woman Jay recognized as part of their custodial staff in her lap, kissing her. They both startled when he walked in, the maid looking particularly horrified to be caught, though Khairah wasn’t much less spooked.

He’d told Talia this would happen, and Jay just sighed at being proven right so quickly. To the maid, he said, “Go on. I need to talk to Khairah, but I won’t tell the Demon if you don’t.” With a mutter of gratitude, she fled in a swirl of skirts.

Khairah gave him a sulky look, and Jay disarmed her with a grin. “She’s cute, I’ll give you that.” The maid was only a few years older than Khairah herself, one of many from the surrounding areas who chose to work for the Demon because it came with decent pay and, more importantly, an education.

Speaking of education, Khairah was in need of one. Jay walked past her to the reference section, and pulled out two large illustrated books, then dropped them on the table next to Khairah. She glanced at the titles, and raised her eyebrows. “Anatomy and physiology texts?”

“Yeah, looks like it’s time someone gave you ‘The Sex Talk’, as we called it when I was a kid,” Jay replied. “Might as well start with factual biology.”


	17. Chapter 17

“‘The Sex Talk’,” Khairah repeated, sounding dubious. “Is this conversation necessary?”

“Everybody should know something about sex before they start doing it,” Jay told her with a slight shrug. “I might be a little late, but I’d rather cover the basics than leave you in the dark.”

She blushed at that. “I already know about sex.”

He managed not to laugh, but by her sudden glower, his expression had been too clear. “Look, you’re _ fifteen_. Even if you’re already having sex and have been told all your life how it works, you still have a lot to learn. I was already an _ ex_-prostitute at your age, and I thought I knew everything, but I didn’t have any clue how much I actually _ didn’t _ know. And you’re getting the talk anyway, so just get used to blushing.”

She tried one more time to dissuade him. “Shouldn’t this be my sire’s task?”

“Oh, so you wanna hear all about sex from the Demon?” Jay asked, and saw her blush deepen. “Yeah, no, it sucks and it’s uncomfortable for me, too, but it’d be worse for her. Talia … she doesn’t like talking about emotions, much. Her father raised her that way. The Sex Talk is mostly about emotions, anyway. The basic mechanics, you can pick up from books, and if you go looking there’s a lot racier stuff in here than Gray’s Anatomy.”

He saw her perk up a little, and grinned. “Some of it’s even illustrated, very artistically. Happy hunting. But the mechanics isn’t what’s important. The ethics and emotions are.”

“Being my opposite, you’re not exactly qualified to school me on _ mechanics_, anyway,” Khairah said.

“Oh, but I could,” Jay replied teasingly. “Flip through the pages - we’ve got basically the same equipment, the only difference is which set is more obvious. Besides, I have _ plenty _ of up close and personal experience with female Alpha anatomy.”

He gave a salacious wink at that, and she groaned, sinking down in the chair with embarrassment. “All right, so, for starters, I don’t know what your religion says, but I’m not here to talk about religion. This is _ ethics_, it’s about not hurting people if you can help it, and that’s all we’re holding you accountable for. First thing is, there’s nothing wrong with masturbation.”

Khairah squeaked and hunkered down even more. With her complexion, a blush wasn’t as obvious as it was on Jay’s paler skin, but he was pretty sure even her ears were turning red. Poor kid, but _ someone _ had to set the ground rules. So he continued, “Hey, it’s the safest sex you can have. Neither of us are gonna judge you for what you do in your free time. Just don’t do it where we might have to see it, because that’s awkward as hell, and clean up after yourself. Nobody’s gonna ask why you need a box of tissues on your nightstand.”

“This is _ mortifying_,” she complained.

“Better than trying to hide it, or not knowing,” Jay said with a shrug. He leaned forward, waiting for her to meet his eyes again, before continuing seriously, “Second thing is, nobody owes you anything. You can’t just take any Omega you see, even if they’re in heat. You don’t use your Alpha mojo on anyone to get them in bed, and you damn sure don’t use the command-voice for sex - unless you both agree you wanna play like that, beforehand and sober and _ not _ in heat. Rut will make things sound like great ideas - I’m a guy, I know judgment gets pretty hazy with a hard-on - but get this in your head now: you do not use people. Ever. Got it?”

“I grew up in al-Hirz,” Khairah told him dryly. “I know the circumstances of my conception better than I’d like to. I should think I am the last person in the world you would need to school on _ this _ matter.”

Jay nodded, conceding the point. “Yeah, okay, we don’t really need to worry about force or coercion. But it’s more complicated than that. Like the maid.”

“What of her?” Khaira asked, straightening up with a touch of defensiveness - and Alpha protectiveness. “She is Beta, I need not be concerned about her state of mind.”

“Regarding heat, no,” Jay replied. “But you look enough like your sire, and we’re both working closely enough with you, that no one has to tell the servants you’re Talia’s daughter. They work for us, kid, and even though they all know we kill Alphas who abuse people, you’re still her daughter. That means the rules are different for you. Knowing that, do you think any servant here would feel comfortable saying ‘no’ to you?”

She frowned at that. “I would not want to pressure any of them, even so obliquely. But she approached me.”

“Then at least you know she’s not feeling cornered,” Jay said reassuringly. “Problem is, now you gotta worry about _ why_. It’s not just two people meeting in a coffee shop and falling in love. You’ve got to ask yourself, is she coming on to you because she likes you and thinks you’re hot? Or because you’re your sire’s daughter?”

The frown deepened, and Jay went on, “Positions here are coveted, we’re known for taking good care of our staff. Is she thinking she’ll secure her position permanently by sleeping with you? Or is she doing it to score points off someone else in the staff? Or is she just looking to bump up her job description from maid to mistress, looking for a better wardrobe and more gifts with less work?”

Khairah scowled. “I do not relish being anyone’s stepping stone.”

He hated pointing that out to her; it was so damn cynical, but it’d be worse if she went skipping through life thinking people were always fair and honest. “Yeah, and it might not be that way. But you’re the one with the power, so it’s your responsibility not to misuse it, or let anyone else use it through you. That’s gonna be everywhere in your life, not just sex. It won’t take long for people to figure out that you’re important to me and Talia. They’ll try to use that. Don’t let them. You’re not just a pawn.”

“Forewarned is forearmed,” Khairah said. “I will be careful.”

Jay nodded; that was all anyone could ask. “Last but not least, maybe the most important really, you don’t owe anybody anything. Period. Doesn’t matter if they’re an Omega in heat, just ‘cause you’re Alpha doesn’t mean you have to take care of them. If somebody takes you out on a date and pays your way, they don’t get to insist on sex just ‘cause they paid. If you’re making out with someone and they get all hot and bothered, but you don’t want to go all the way, you don’t have to. You’re not responsible for anyone else’s horniness. You only have sex when _ you _ want to, and you only do what you want to. Nobody gets to talk you into doing something you didn’t want, just because they think they deserve it or they got all wound up over you. You’re the only one who decides what you’re gonna do, with whom, and when. Anyone tries to tell you different, kick ‘em where it hurts and tell me or Talia.”

Khairah nodded slowly, and he figured she’d never pictured any of that happening to _ her_, because she’d come from al-Hirz where abuse was primarily an Omega issue. “Don’t think you’re safe because you’re Alpha. Bad shit happens to women and men, Alphas and Omegas and Betas. Some people just fucking suck, that’s all, and if they think they can get something out of you, they’ll try no matter what designation you are. Don’t be ashamed if someone tries this crap on you. It’s not your fault. It’s _ never _ your fault, if they’re trying to make you do something. Talia and I spend most of our free time stopping those kinds of assholes. We will always, _ always _ back you up. If you feel weird talking to her, tell me instead. I’ll punch every sonofabitch from here to Hong Kong before I let someone put hands on you that you’re not happy to have there.”

“Why?” Khairah asked, honest instead of sarcastic. “I am no blood relation to you. And I am not one of the abused Omegas you crusade to rescue. Why should you fight for me?”

“Because it’s the right thing to do,” Jay said, and felt a chill down his spine. _ For justice, _ words spoken in a pitch-black cave with the rustling and squeaking of bats overheard, their voices echoing oddly, the only light a single candle in Bruce’s hands. He’d touched the flame to the cold wick of the candle Jay carried, and the tiny bit of fire caught and burned. Like a magic trick, two lights in the stygian dark, both still so small - but the light had doubled, not divided, and now there were two bringing warmth and sight and hope to the darkest shadows, instead of just one.

These days the fire he brought into the dark was more often a spit of flame from the muzzle of his gun, but that was enough to see by in a pinch. And he wasn’t alone in bearing it, either. Once, when he and Talia had gone into a blacked-out building to flush out a gang of traffickers, she’d smeared her sword-blade with alcohol gel and lit it. For effect, she’d told him, it wasn’t very practical, but the men hiding in the darkness had seen the Demon bearing a sword licked by pale blue flame, and the heart had gone out of them before the fight even started.

He was still following the same old mission, the one that called him to protect the weak, no matter how he might try to deny it, or how little Bruce would’ve accepted their ways of getting the job done.

Jay shook his head free of old memories. “Besides, blood relations are overrated. I’d protect you because you’re a kid, and a girl - Alpha or not, women deal with more bullshit in this world than most men even know about. The fact that you’re _ her _ kid, well, that makes you my responsibility, too. I told her once I’d do whatever it takes to be with her. That includes figuring out how to be a stepdad.”

Khairah regarded him thoughtfully. “You love her very much.”

For once, he didn’t deflect it with a joke. “Yeah, I do. I walked away from pretty much my whole life before her. I wouldn’t change a thing, but I won’t lie and say it was easy, or that it didn’t hurt to lose basically all my friends and family.” She looked somber, but also wistful, and Jay added, “Don’t wish for a love like that, Khairah. Wish for somebody your own age, from something closer to your own background, and a life together that doesn’t revolve around running the fucking _ League of Assassins_, okay? It makes for great drama, sure, and epic romance if you’re into that, but living it is hard. We both miss out on a lot, things you can’t really make up for.”

“You could retire,” Khairah suggested hesitantly.

Jay shrugged. “We could try. Problem is, the League won’t just disappear if we quit. There’d be fighting over who runs it, and the best way for someone to show themselves a strong contender would be to roll up with both of our heads on a pike. No, there’s not gonna be a quiet little house somewhere for me and Talia, where we grow old together and watch the sunset while sipping wine. Odds are, we both die bloody, and sooner than we want to. In the meantime, we make sure it’s worth it, because we save everybody we can and cut down as many of the bad guys as possible.”

Khairah shivered. “That sounds … very fatalistic. And bleak.”

Jay could only chuckle. “Have you _ seen _ my life? Everything since the Joker killed me has been a second chance I never expected to get. I’ll take dying in battle beside the most amazing badass woman I know; that’s a lot better ending than being handed over to the Joker by my own bio mom and beaten to death with a crowbar. I’d rather go down fighting than just be a way for Joker to score points off Batman.”

Giving a slow nod of understanding, Khairah said, “I’m rather glad, now, that she’s not planning for me to succeed her. I was … hurt, at first, to realize this is what you both consider a minimal amount of training, and that you weren’t treating me as heir to the empire.”

Jay scoffed. “News flash, Talia would’ve been a lot happier if her dad had just ignored her. Because he decided she was gonna be his right hand - never his heir, can’t let a _ woman _ run the show - she’s never really been free to do what _ she _ wants. We’re not gonna do that to you, Khairah.”

“Thank you,” she said simply.


	18. Chapter 18

Talia had woken alone, and went to the library, thinking to find Jay there. She found him and Khairah both, and as she opened the doors, the girl’s expression looked immediately guilty. Talia arched a brow, and glanced at the books by the girl’s side. Medical texts, but explicit enough to make a teenager blush.

She’d intended to shake it off, bringing them the news that had just come to her email instead, but Jay spoke up. “By the way, since I ran across Khairah in here studying, I figured I’d take the opportunity while it was just us to handle the sex talk for you. I hadn’t gotten around to where we keep the condoms, though.”

Talia nearly choked on clear air. “Rather presumptuous of you, isn’t that?” she said, staring at him. That explained why Khairah looked like a spotlighted deer, at least.

He shrugged with his typical insouciance. “It’s less awkward coming from me than from you. Anything you’d like to add to her reading list?”

She had to stop and run a hand through her hair. “We should have discussed this,” she told Jay, but given her own reluctance to approach the topic, Talia knew she would’ve put it off too long. “Or consulted Hadiyah.”

“Mother would prefer to think I’ll be a lifelong celibate like her,” Khairah said dryly. “She also thinks I’m still too young to have any interest.”

Jay snorted at that. “Better too early than too late. And yeah, not if Alpha girls are anything like boys of any designation. T, you were reading love poetry at fourteen.”

“Hush,” she scolded, trying not to blush. Most of her adolescence was _ not _ to be discussed with her daughter. “There ought to be some comprehensive resource on more than simple biology. I’ll see what I can find. In any case, other matters take precedence.”

“What’s going on?” Jay asked, coming to the alert.

Talia sighed in annoyance. “My business interests in Metropolis are being compromised by someone, likely Intergang, or possibly Lex Luthor’s company Lexcorp, which is in direct competition with some of my assets. This is an issue I do not trust to subordinates. I am forced to handle it personally, for a few days at least.”

“We’re going to Metropolis?” Khairah asked, her eyes brightening.

Talia had meant to say she would need to leave for a week, ten days at the most, and would leave Khairah either in Jay’s care if he were willing, or let her briefly go back to al-Hirz. But the eager brightness in her eyes was difficult to deny. 

She looked instead to Jason. “We were thinking of Paris,” Talia told him. “Perhaps Metropolis has suggested itself?”

He grinned as widely as Khairah. “You know I love going back to the East Coast. I’m down if you are.”

Talia sighed. “Yes, then. We’re going to Metropolis.”

And none of them mentioned, or even thought, of the _ other _ city on the East Coast that Talia and Jay knew so well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A short chapter this Friday, but it's the start of momentous things. Have a great weekend!


	19. Chapter 19

They weren’t planning to stay long in Metropolis, just see the sights, get Talia’s business sorted, and then move on, likely to L.A. Talia preferred the West Coast in general, anyway. Jay was enjoying the tourist thing, accompanying Khairah to everything that interested her. Most of the time Talia couldn’t go with them, but she managed to be there for some of it, towards the end of their projected five-day trip. She couldn’t resist strolling downtown in the business district, glaring daggers at the LexCorp building. Khairah generally managed not to crane her head around like an obvious tourist, but the Daily Planet building with its enormous rotating globe stopped her. Even Talia looked up with a faint smile.

Jay leaned in and whispered, “The star reporter there, Lois Lane? She’s Alpha too.”

Khairah perked up, curious, and Talia said gently, “No, we are not stopping in to pay a social call to the _ JLA’s media liaison_. Though she _ is _ a woman whose intelligence and courage I admire.”

Jay looked up at the building wistfully. “Yeah, there’s a lot of people from the old days I wouldn’t mind seeing again. Problem is, most of ‘em wouldn’t wanna see me. Maybe Roy, once we’re out west.”

Talia heard the nostalgia in his voice, and gave him a complicated look. He could only shrug. It had been too long, and he’d made his choices. No point in missing the past now. The boy Robin who had idolized Superman and Lois Lane was dead, and had been for years. The man who’d clawed his way back among the living was in some fundamental ways a different person.

To keep her - and himself - from dwelling on it, Jay directed them into a cafe for some authentic local cuisine. As they glanced at the sidewalk menu, Talia rolled her eyes at calling burgers and fries ‘cuisine’, but she quickly found something with mushrooms and pesto that appealed to her educated palate. Jay, of course, saw the double-decker bacon cheeseburger on the menu and speculated that he might be in love.

His enthusiasm was maybe a little too contagious. Khairah hesitated, eyeing Talia. “Perhaps I will have one as well.”

Talia arched an eyebrow at the defiant tone. “Whether you choose to eat pork or not is up to you. Even in my rebellious years, I never acquired the taste for it, myself.”

“You’re not going to tell me not to eat things that are haram?” Khairah asked, looking at her curiously, and Jay let Talia handle this one, knowing where it was headed. Matters of faith were decidedly _ not _ his specialty. Hell, he hadn’t been much more than a nominal Catholic even _ before _ he died.

“American meat processing practices are nowhere near halal. If you want to be observant in this country, you’re going to be stuck with salads and fish at most restaurants,” Talia replied. “Many people simply avoid pork and call that good enough. If you want to keep to halal foods, then tell me so. There are restaurants that follow the proper procedures and restrictions, and I will find them for us.” 

Jay picked that moment to chime in with, “Don’t worry about me. I like Middle Eastern food too. And I can always go get a cheeseburger on my own if I’m craving one.” 

Khairah still looked uncertain, so Talia continued, “I am not going to tell you what you should believe, or how observant you should be. That is a choice everyone must make for themselves; it is between them and Allah. _ I _ certainly have no authority to intervene.”

Of course, she looked at Jay then, still questioning what surely seemed like a very permissive attitude, so he shrugged. “I’m _ so _ not the guy to go to for religion, kiddo. You do you.”

“Heathen,” Talia murmured affectionately.

Jay grinned over his menu. “Hey, last I checked alcohol is haram, and you have _ quite _ the wine cellar.”

She smirked back, but Khairah’s gaze had turned speculative. “You’d let me drink alcohol?”

“You can’t get it in restaurants here, you’re underage,” Jay replied immediately. “In the U.S., you can’t drink ‘til you’re twenty-one.”

She pouted at that, and Talia shook her head. “Nor will I serve you alcohol. Your mother would be far angrier with me for letting you get drunk than for letting you have bacon.”

On that note, Khairah decided she’d try a cheeseburger, just not the bacon, so they all headed inside. Service was prompt, despite this being a more casual place than the upscale restaurants Talia often favored, and they’d gotten a booth in the back with a view of the door. Once their orders were in and drinks were on the table, Khairah turned curious eyes on Talia. “I never thought _ you _ would be…”

“Secular? Lapsed in faith?” Talia asked, and the girl nodded. “I’ve never claimed to be an especially observant Muslim. Especially in the parts of the world where we are decidedly in the minority, it is not easy to remain faithful. Besides, every religion has adherents who live by the spirit of its laws and not the letter - just as every religion has those who live so bound by the letter of the laws that they forget the underlying meaning of faith itself.” 

“We have a lot of those here,” Jay said. “People who say they’re Christian, but they judge everybody else for every little thing they do, and they hate everyone who’s not like them. Those kind of people are everywhere, in every religion. It’s their fault, not the faith. Some people just have small minds.”

Talia sipped her tea. “True. And then there are those who profess no especial religion, but who still believe in a divine power. Khairah, I have traveled too far and seen too much to believe that I, or any other person on this planet, has _ all _ of the answers to questions of faith.”

Khairah had ordered tea as well, and stirred the straw around her glass reflectively. “So … I don’t have to pray?”

“If you don’t want to, I won’t force you,” Talia replied. “That will make things uncomfortable with your mother, I’m certain. But I meant what I said in al-Hirz. I am not in the business of dictating _ anyone’s _ faith. I’ve made certain you had time to pray, and to go to the mosque, even though I do not, because that is what you are accustomed to. I’ve changed your life enough, on very short notice. This may not be the time to change your faith as well.”

Jay watched them both with interest. He and Talia had discussed religion only idly. Both of them had been _ dead_, and Jay at least didn’t remember anything of an afterlife. He remembered coming back, the pain and the disorientation that was worse than fear, a pervasive sense that he _ should not be_, but he’d fought past that and clawed his way back into life. As Talia had, though she was less forthcoming about the times she’d been resurrected than even the horrifying abuse she’d suffered at Bane’s hands. He thought she remembered more than he did; once when an enemy had told her to go to Hell, Talia had snarled back, “I’ve _ been _ there,” with enough vehemence that it didn’t sound like just a typical mid-battle boast.

To shake himself off of that line of thought before the appetizers arrived, Jay said, “Ladies, can I ask a dumb American white boy question?”

“You are far from stupid,” Talia scolded gently. “Ask. As if I would ever deny you anything.”

He smiled at that. “Ignorant, then. It seemed like almost every woman in al-Hirz covered their hair, which I know is business as usual for most Islamic countries. But you don’t, Khairah. Is that an Alpha thing?”

“Yes,” she told him. “Many say that Alpha women should also wear the hijab, since we _ are _ women. But Mother says that no one will be forced to dress any particular way in al-Hirz. It is a choice. As I got older, I found it easier to go without - that way the rest of them know it’s me immediately, even at a distance.”

Talia chuckled. “I did much the same. Also, depending on which hadith you follow, Jay, some would say _ you _ ought to cover your hair as an Omega. Admittedly there are more who want to enforce it for Alpha women than Omega men.”

“Because sexism is always gonna beat out designation discrimination,” Jay scoffed. 

The appetizers arrived then, and they shared them out. Jay had ordered fried mushrooms and cheese sticks, and Khairah looked askance at him. “So much is fried here. Is your entire cuisine based on consuming as much grease as possible?”

“Pretty much, yeah,” Jay laughed. “There’s a reason why Americans lead the world in heart disease. I miss this stuff - now if I could just get a good chili dog, I’d feel right at home.”

The meal went well, effectively distracting Jay and Talia from the painful parts of nostalgia, until they were nearly finished. The restaurant had a television in one corner, playing sports, which Jay had mostly ignored. But then it cut to the news, and he and Talia both looked up when the blonde anchorwoman mentioned Gotham City.

A clip played while the anchor talked about gang violence. It had been taken from a mobile phone, shaky at first as the person filming captured a dozen men fighting in the middle of the street. Then Batman landed in the midst of the violence, and the video smoothed out to follow him as he took down the gang members.

Jay wasn’t hearing the blonde’s voiceover, and neither was Talia. Both of them watched the clip, and once it was over and the news moved on, they both reached for their own phones, searching for the same video and pulling it up to watch again. 

Khairah looked at both of them, puzzled. “What is it?”

The second viewing cinched it for Jay, and he looked up to meet Talia’s worried gaze. “That wasn’t him,” she confirmed.


	20. Chapter 20

They regrouped in the hotel, Talia reaching out to her various contacts for information while Jay looked through news videos to see when the change happened. Khairah watched them both, nonplussed. “So that is Batman, but not the Batman you expected?” she asked.

Jay looked at Talia; they didn’t want to start giving away real identities, but they were both in the habit of calling people they knew so well by their names. “We both know Batman well enough to know that’s not the same guy under the cowl,” he explained. “I’m pretty sure that’s Nightwing, actually.”

“No one has any information on him,” Talia replied, annoyed. “I am seeing news that _ something _ is happening in Gotham. There have been an unusual number of missing-persons cases over the last few weeks. All of them Alphas, as it so happens. Most of the usual players are keeping very quiet, but then, many of them are Alphas themselves. They might be among the missing.”

“Whatever it is, it happened recently,” Jay told her. “Videos from a week ago are Batman. He’s not on camera often enough to get a good fix, but two nights ago it was Nightwing.”

“He might simply be injured,” Talia said. 

Jay shook his head. “He’s gotten hurt before, and either powered through, or just went dark. For Wing to _ replace _ him … they’re hiding something. They don’t want anyone to know he’s not out there.”

Talia sighed. “Shall I call the Manor, or would you rather?”

Jay just blinked at her for a second. “It’s not our business.”

“No, and we did not come here to interfere in his city. But we are both worried for him.” She crossed her arms defensively. “He would not believe it, but you and I both still care for him. If you suspect as I do that something _ more _ is happening, that his eldest son wearing the costume is a symptom of greater trouble…”

“You know I do,” Jay sighed in defeat. “_Dammit_. All the times we’ve skirted around Gotham, and it has to be _ now_, when it’s not just you and me we have to worry about.”

“What is so dangerous about this Gotham City?” Khairah asked.

“We both have history there,” Talia said. And then, with a glance at Jay, she continued, “Batman and I were lovers, for quite some time. He could never accept me as I am - not because I am Alpha as he is, but because I was my father’s daughter, raised to the sword and no stranger to killing. He sees no difference between the murderous madmen he pursues, and those who kill in battle. The Batman does not take lives. He swore never to kill, for his own parents were slain in front of him when he was very young. His entire life has been about trying to stop that from happening to another child.”

“Also, the age difference also makes our situation a little complicated, because he’s her ex and he adopted me,” Jay said, keeping his tone light. “Never mind that Talia’s closer to my age than his. Still, even if we weren’t out here killing people on occasion, he and all his little birdies would have problems with us because of _ us_. The thing is, even though she and I met a couple times when I was a kid, your sire is _ not _ my mom. Not even my stepmom. It’s a little weird when you look at it in that light, but we’re both adults and we chose each other. And fuck them all, we’re _ good _ for each other, dammit.”

“That we are,” Talia added with a fond smile, one that faded as she continued. “The fact remains that we both loved him very much, once, and still do more distantly, not having spoken in … seven years now, is it?”

“Seven years since we killed Bane,” Jay said. “Six since we took over from your dad. He was still emailing me occasionally until then. I guess he gave up when I deleted them unread.”

“They know who we are, in Gotham, but they do not trust us,” Talia said reluctantly. “Any inquiry from us will be perceived as a threat.”

Jay raked a hand through his hair, making the shock of white in front stand up. “You’d better be the one to call, if we’re doing this. Last I checked, you never actually tried to kill anyone in that house.”

Talia set her phone to encrypt the call, and looked up at Jay with woeful eyes. “I still remember the number by heart,” she admitted.

“Me too,” he told her.

It rang for a few moments, and she put it on speaker, Jay sitting beside her. Khairah watched them both silently. At last, a voice they both knew came on the line. “You have reached Wayne Manor,” Alfred’s voice said on the recording. “I regret that we are unable to take your call at this time. Please leave a message at the tone.”

When it beeped, Talia spoke quickly and dryly. “Alfred, this is Talia. I saw last night’s news. Richard wears his father’s suit well, but I am concerned for Bruce’s well-being. Please have him call me at his earliest opportunity.” She gave the number, then paused. “I’ve heard rumors that something strange is afoot in Gotham. Jason and I are both worried. Please, call us.”

She hung up and sighed in unison with Jay. He gave her a sad smile. “I miss Alfred.”

“So do I,” she replied. “We should have kept in touch with _ him _ at least. But his loyalties are clear.”

The phone rang in her hand, as they’d half expected, and she answered it, putting it on speaker again. “This is Talia.”

“Don’t worry about us,” Dick Grayson said coldly. “Gotham is business as usual.”

Jay cut in then. “Then how come you’re wearing the suit, Dickie-Bird? Look, I know I left on a bad note…”

“You put Tim in the hospital, murdered dozens of drug dealers, and almost killed Bruce,” Dick said, his voice choked up - with pain and anger, Jay figured. They’d been very close, once, brothers-in-arms more than actual brothers, but with Dick the distinction had never mattered. Once that guy loved someone, he loved them forever.

Which made Jay’s desertion and betrayal of everything they stood for - as Dick saw it - hurt all the worse.

“Like I said,” Jay continued, mastering the urge to snap back. “Is Bruce all right? That’s all we wanna know. Just put him on the phone for a second.”

“He’s busy,” Dick replied. “Hearing from either of you wouldn’t do him any good. Stay away, Jaybird. You too, Talia. We don’t need you.”

With that he hung up. Jay and Talia looked at each other for a long moment. “He’s never liked me,” she said, trying to retain her composure.

Perhaps only Jay saw how much that rattled her. Then again, he was unsettled, too - as angry as Dick had sounded, he’d still slipped and used that old playful nickname. “He’s also lying out his ass,” Jay said. “I know you two snark at each other every time you cross paths, but it’s not like Dick to be rude. At least, not _ this _ rude. He’s scared of something.”

Talia bit her lip, looking down. “It’s none of our business.”

Jay put his arm around her and pulled her close. “If Bruce is in trouble, and we can help, then we have to. Whether he or Dick or anybody there wants our help or not. I can’t walk away if he’s in danger. Any more than you can.”

She covered his hand on her shoulder with hers, sighing again. “Another thankless task that’s sure to turn bloody. Getting them to _ talk _ to us is going to be a nightmare. I’d drive up to the Manor, but Richard would enjoy slamming the door in my face and calling the police.”

“I can get in,” Jay said, his mouth twisting in a wry grin.

“You think so?” Talia said archly.

Jay said, “If I roll into town, put the helmet on, and beat up some drug dealers, they’ll show up. Guaranteed. Getting them to _ talk _ might be a challenge, but I can get their attention.”

She frowned. “And they will try to _ save _ you from me. Evil, controlling Alpha that I am, to take advantage of such a vulnerable young Omega as you.” Sarcasm lay heavy on each syllable.

“And the whole time they’re wringing their hands about how horrible it is for me to live in the lap of luxury with the partner I chose, I can scope out the situation,” Jay replied. “T, they don’t understand. Bruce has always been fully suppressed, I don’t think anyone else up there is Alpha, so they don’t know what an Alpha is supposed to be. I can straighten them out, and find out what’s going on.”

“I don’t want to send you alone into the hands of people we both know will try to separate us,” Talia said.

“And as long as I’m breathing, I’ll be trying to get back to you,” Jay replied. “They won’t hurt me, either. I can do this.”

“I know you can. But I cannot risk being parted from you indefinitely. If you go, I’m coming after you,” Talia promised.

“What about Khairah?” he asked.

The girl herself had been watching the conversation like a spectator at a tennis match, probably making mental notes on the names they’d forgotten to conceal, and now they both looked at her. “I’ll go with you,” she volunteered.

“_No_,” they both answered in unison, and Talia continued, “Gotham is dangerous. It has far too many madmen and metahumans running about. And if the Bat and his flock knew you were my daughter… Jason is right, they would do you no harm, but they would seek to save you from my influence as well. And I am not so noble as to suffer that gracefully.”

“Why do they think you are so evil?” Khairah asked, frowning.

“They only see in black and white when it comes to killing,” Jay said. “The Bat draws a hard line at taking a life, and everyone who plays in his city has to follow that rule, or he runs them out. We were both trained as assassins. And even though we’re out here saving people on the regular, the fact that we put an end to rapists and abusers is more than he can handle.”

“It’s more than that, and she deserves the truth,” Talia said gently.

Jay sighed. “Yeah, so … what Dick was just talking about? That’s all true, too. When I came back from the dead and found out the asshole who killed me was still alive, _ and _ there was another kid wearing the Robin uniform, I was real pissed. Mad enough that I beat the hell outta the new Robin, and even I know it’s not _ his _fault. I felt … replaced, so I lashed out. This whole resurrection thing, it makes you dangerous, paranoid, vicious. And it lasts a long while after you think you’re over it. I came back wanting the Joker dead for killing me, and the Bat dead for not killing him.”

“And I helped him plan his revenge,” Talia said, glancing at Jay. She gave a humorless laugh. “It was a desperate choice, made to forestall you from killing him right then. I didn’t know what else to do, so I trained you as an assassin. Only _ I _ could possibly see that logic, teach a man a thousand ways to kill in order to stop him from killing.”

“Hey, it worked,” Jay pointed out. “Anyway, they blame Talia for me going to the dark side. Never mind that I’d killed before I died. There was a guy named Garzonas, a diplomat’s son, smug little fucker ‘cause he had immunity. He beat the crap out of his girlfriend, we took him in, and he used his one phone call from jail to let her know he was coming back. She killed herself, rather than face him again.”

His eyes were haunted as he spoke, remembering her face, her wide hopeless eyes. “I was waiting when he came to her place. I goaded him into a fight on the balcony and tripped him so he’d go over the railing. Bastard deserved it; the world’s a better place without him. The Bat and his birds can’t see that I’d already chosen my path - I won’t let people like that live. They don’t get that if not for Talia stalling me until I could think clearer, I’d’ve killed the Bat the way I eventually killed Joker.”

Talia smoothed a hand over his shoulder while he spoke of Garzonas. That still felt like a failure to him, someone he’d tried to protect and left vulnerable. If he could have turned back time, he’d snap the bastard’s neck at their first meeting and damn all the consequences.

Khairah looked at both of them worriedly. “You don’t seem evil to me.”

Talia smiled sadly. “Qamar would have a different opinion.”

The girl scoffed. “She tried to betray Ommi. It served her right.”

Jay laughed softly. “I remember being young and thinking I had all the answers. Nothing’s really black and white, or as simple as you think. We’re both shades of gray, Khairah, and darker gray than we wanted to be. But we’re doing the best we can. Personally, I think Batman’s in the wrong for _ not _ killing the ones that are mad dogs. He’ll put ‘em in a body cast for months, but he won’t just _ end _ them. Which means they go on hurting or killing more people. I’ll take the blame for being a killer, if I stop a rapist or a murderer or a child molester from finding another victim.”

“Enough of moral philosophy,” Talia said at last. “I will not risk them trying to save you from me, Khairah, so you are not going to Gotham. I’m barely willing to let _ Jay _ go.”

“I’ll come back,” he promised her.

“You’d damned well _ better_,” Talia replied. “I would raze the entire city to the ground to find you, and you know it.”

He grinned, and rumpled her hair, making Talia curse indignantly and pull away. “Aww, you do like me.”

Running a hand through her hair, she glared at him, but her expression softened at the way Khairah chuckled. “You have your uses,” Talia finally said.


	21. Chapter 21

_ Gotham._ Damn, it still smelled like home. Jay breathed in exhaust and smog and the residue of over-used frying oil like it was fresh mountain air, and let it out again in a nostalgic sigh.

He was dressed to blend in, jeans and a t-shirt and a leather jacket, with a beat-up duffel bag over his shoulder containing his helmet, some explosives, spare ammo, lots of cash, and everything else he might need. Within the hour, Jay had rented a room in Crown Point and scouted out the neighborhood. Everywhere he saw evidence of drugs, prostitution, gang signs, recent robberies - the area was the same as it had been when he was growing up. He waited until dark, suited up, barricaded the door, and went out the window to make an impression.

There was no point in trying to find the Bats, Jay already knew. He’d just make them come to him. No killing, though, he wanted at least the chance of handling this civilly, so he beat up the dealers and pimps, and left them tied up awaiting police. Jay worked his way across the neighborhood leisurely, intervening in anything that caught his attention, and waiting for someone wearing a Bat-symbol to drop on him.

It didn’t happen that night, so he returned to the room he’d taken, changed clothes, and stretched out on the lumpy mattress. At one in the morning, he called Talia; she insisted he call when he got in, and at least twice a day, so she knew he was free and safe. If he missed a call, she’d come in after him, and Jay had only barely been able to argue her down to waiting until the _ second _ missed call.

Her voice on the line was tense. “This is Talia.”

“Hey, T, it’s me,” Jay said lazily. “Just another typical night in the rotten apple. How’re you and the kid?”

At his casual tone, she relaxed. “I’ve been waiting for your call, of course. And watching the police band out of Gotham. They’re quite perturbed. Meanwhile Khairah is watching television and eating pizza. I’m afraid she’s picking up your habits.”

“Then I’ll bring her back a genuine Gotham City chili cheese dog with sauerkraut and onions,” Jay laughed. “Bet I can find a hot dog cart that sells the all-beef ones. Tell her I’m flattered that she’s taking after me.”

Talia dutifully relayed the message, and Jay heard Khairah laugh. He could imagine her rolling her eyes, too. Talia returned her attention to him. “They haven’t made contact yet?”

“Haven’t seen a glimpse of them,” Jay replied. “I figure they’ll turn up tomorrow night. I’ll make it easy and follow the same route.”

“Be careful,” she told him, for what felt like the hundredth time.

“I will,” he replied. 

After a little more desultory conversation, he hung up the phone and lit a cigarette, staring out the window. The view was of a brick wall opposite, and the closest streetlight just cast an anemic yellow glow onto it, but he wasn’t contemplating the view anyway.

Jay _ had _ been on his own at times during the last seven years, sometimes for weeks at a stretch. There were times Talia had to handle things alone, and times the two of them needed to divide and conquer. But he’d grown used to being with her more often than not. And in the weeks since Khairah had come to them, he and Talia had both confined their business to what could be handled within a day’s travel, so they were both home every night. It was damn nice, really, knowing he’d lay down to sleep every night in the same comfy bed with his arm around the same beautiful woman. And then see the same smart, sassy kid at breakfast. It felt … like a family.

Thinking that made him shiver, even now. Family was a sore topic for Jay. His father had never amounted to more than a two-bit criminal, his biological mother had abandoned him as a baby and then handed him over to Joker when they met again, and the only mother he’d known had died far too young. The next time he had a family, it was Bruce and Alfred and Dick and Babs, and he’d lost all of them, too. First when Joker killed him, then when they replaced him.

Being here in this city, knowing that soon he’d have to face people he would’ve once died for without a second’s hesitation, made Jay uneasy. It had been one thing when he’d first become Red Hood. He had nothing to lose, then, already dead once. Now he had a family to protect … and no matter how glibly he’d spoken to Khairah, or how often he’d reassured Talia that the Bats wouldn’t hurt him, Jay was afraid of what his old family might say or do to try and tear him away.

They knew about him and Talia, of course, and did _ not _ approve. Dick would always assume the worst of Talia, since he’d never liked her - and the feeling was mutual. Bruce was the one who _ knew _ for certain. He’d seen them together, when Bane died, and Jay had answered one of his many ‘come home, we can help you’ emails with a profanity-laced list of the reasons why he wouldn’t do that. ‘Talia understands me better than you ever did’ hadn’t been so bad. ‘You were an idiot to give up a woman like her, and I’m not that dumb’ made him wince, even now.

Anger motivated him then, as it so often did, but he regretted it now. Jay had only wanted to hurt Bruce, any way he could, and couldn’t imagine that he would ever _ miss _ any of them. Time changed everything, though.

Jay smoked the cigarette down to the filter, stubbed it out, and yawned. Thinking that he should’ve grabbed a beer, or a bottle of scotch, he resigned himself to a sleepless night and tried to settle in anyway.

That was when the window blew in, glass scattering across the room ahead of two caped figures. 

Jay was too well-trained to be caught out easily. He rolled off the bed and to his feet, gun in one hand and his kris in the other. “You’re early,” he barked out, taking a defensive stance.

They both rushed him. He recognized the guy with the staff wearing the Red Robin uniform as Tim Drake - his replacement. The kid had grown beyond that, though, and in a glance Jay assessed him as a competent fighter by League standards, which meant really damn dangerous by anyone else’s. Tim held back slightly, probably remembering every bone Jay had broken, and Jay gave a wolfish grin he didn’t feel. If he regretted anything about that first manic run as Red Hood, it was attacking this guy. Tim hadn’t done anything wrong, he’d just put on a uniform that frankly wouldn’t fit Jay anymore anyway. But the rage, from the Lazarus Pit and from being unavenged, hadn’t cared about reason. It only wanted a target, and Robin Three had been the most obvious one.

Jay figured he could bluff Tim. It was still stupid, taking them on without armor or most of his toys, but he’d honestly expected them to be a little more cautious. He hadn’t killed anyone … and he hadn’t realized they were already tracking him. Tim must’ve gotten a lot sneakier since the last time they’d crossed paths.

The other one, though, was a whole different ball game. She wore unrelieved black from pointy ears down to her toes, and Jay knew her only by reputation. Black Bat, who had been Batgirl, and whose real name was Cassandra Cain. Her mother, Sandra Wu-San, also called Lady Shiva, was a martial artist with whom not even Talia would cross swords. Her father was David Cain, and both her parents were assassins who had been part of the League under Ra’s al Ghul. The girl had been raised and trained by Cain under the Demon’s supervision, and she was a truly formidable warrior.

Cain had run off with her when Talia took over the League of Assassins, and a few years ago she’d left him and gone to the Bats. Jay remembered Talia being livid when she found out just how harshly the girl had been trained; to make her a perfect warrior, Cain had never taught her to read, write, or even _ speak_. Her first language was body language, and she could read an opponent’s intentions so skillfully that she was damn near impossible to beat.

It’d been a few years since then, and with Lady Shiva remaining on cordial terms with Talia and the League, they’d heard that Cassandra had learned to speak at the cost of some of her ability, but she was still considered the best fighter in Bruce’s flock. More skilled than Bruce himself, perhaps. So Jay knew _ exactly _ what he was up against.

It didn’t stop him from _ trying_. He jerked the gun aside to shoot out the light, and Tim’s staff swept through the space where Jay’s wrist had been an instant ago. In the sudden dark, Jay lunged at Cass, hoping to take her down in the brief instant while she adjusted to the light going out.

No luck, he pounced on empty air, and a small hand touched the side of his neck. He’d taken off his armor to sleep, and that precise, oddly gentle strike landed right on a major nerve cluster, scrambling communication all down his side. Jay stumbled, saving himself with a roll, but as he came to his feet they were both following him. He caught Tim’s staff with both forearms, grunting in pain at the sting of it, and then Cass was there again, inside his guard with spooky swiftness. A tap at his solar plexus made him want to fold up as his breath whooshed out.

“You’re good,” Jay wheezed, lunging into her space again. Cass eeled away from him, kicking into the back of his knee and dropping him to the floor again. 

Jay looked up only to see Tim’s staff hovering over his face. “Stay down,” Tim said in his best imitation of Bruce’s gravelly voice.

Jay couldn’t help laughing. “Dude, you’re never gonna be intimidating. Just stop.” Cass came up alongside them, tensed to attack, and Jay held his hands up. “Relax, guys. I just wanna talk. How’s the big man?”

And in the seconds before Cass sprayed knockout gas into his face, Jay saw that both of them looked very worried indeed.


	22. Chapter 22

Jay woke up with a headache and a dry mouth, typical after-effects of the sedatives in knockout gas. He sat up with a groan, rubbing his face, and took inventory of the situation. He was currently sitting on a narrow foam mattress in what was undoubtedly a cell, with stone walls and a front that looked like glass but was probably some high-tech polymer three steps above Plexiglass in durability. The only other furnishings in the cell were a sink and commode, both stainless steel and bolted to the wall.

This wasn’t a GCPD jail cell, despite the similar amenities. Jay knew that cool, damp stone; he was in the Bat Cave. Which meant he was safe, and that much closer to finding out what the hell was going on, even if being locked up was an inconvenience that made him restless.

He stood up, glancing down at the clothes he wore. They’d taken everything he had on and replaced it with a shirt and pants that were slightly too small. Jay sniffed the shirt: Dick Grayson. The scent brought him a wave of nostalgia he wouldn’t let show on his face. He had to be on camera.

Jay padded barefoot over to the sink and ran the water for a few seconds, then drank from his cupped hands. It was cold and minerally, taking the sour taste from his mouth. When he bent his arms to drink, he felt a slight pinch in one elbow. Rolling back his sleeve, Jay found a bandage covering a small pinprick. They must’ve taken blood while he was unconscious, too.

Then he laid back down and waited. He didn’t want to show any impatience. They’d be running tests on his blood and trying to follow his backtrail, wanting all the information they could get before they spoke to him. If he could just keep calm, he’d get answers sooner.

What bothered him the most was the time issue. He’d _ just _ spoken to Talia when they came busting in the window after him, so he should’ve had about sixteen hours before she would come looking for him. Except, sedatives left him without any sense of how long he’d been out. And there was no clock in this room; being underground, no way to guess from daylight, either. Jay wanted to figure out how long he had before Talia turned up, but had to accept that he just couldn’t.

Jay laid there patiently, trying not to fret, his eyes half-closed. He played mind games to stave off the boredom, trying to remember everything that had been in their hotel room in Metropolis, or everything in Hadiyah’s living room. Or playing games of tic-tac-toe and checkers against himself in his own head. 

Eventually he heard a faint noise outside. He didn’t jump up to look, just listened more intently. The cave was utterly quiet except for the air system, which made picking out new sounds easier. He heard breathing, fabric rustling, the scuff of boot soles on the walkway, and another noise he couldn’t identify immediately.

Without looking, he guessed that between two and five people were standing outside his cell, looking in at him. Like people at a zoo. Jay laughed inwardly at that comparison. _ Look at the wolf, kids, see how big his teeth are? Better be glad the glass is between us or he’d eat you up! _

“What’re you smiling about, Jay?” Barbara Gordon asked, and he realized the sound he couldn’t place had been wheelchair tires.

Jay sat up, yawned, and ran a hand through his hair before answering. “You got a sign outside my cage yet? Does it say not to feed or tease the animals?”

It was Babs, Cass, and Tim, all looking dubiously at him. Babs smirked back after a moment. “No, it just says ‘No Smoking’. Long time no see, Jay. What brought you back to Gotham?”

He stood up and paced to the glass, studying them as they were surely studying him. With her cowl off, Cass Cain was pretty in a spare, elegant way. She watched him steadily, without hostility, just curiosity and patience in her gaze. Tim had gotten taller, and his eyes seemed more shadowed. Either he wasn’t sleeping enough - though who in the Bat-family ever did? - or that was a side effect of the worried scowl he wore. He had a right to it, Jay figured, and felt a pinch of guilt.

Babs looked the same as ever: cynical eyes with a brilliant mind behind them, auburn hair styled for convenience rather than effect. She sat in her chair like it was a throne, and looked boldly back at Jay. He met her gaze and grinned. “So we’re getting right down to it, huh? No bullshitting around? Fine. I’m here because something’s wrong in Gotham. Where’s Bruce?”

“He’s fine,” Tim said, and no one had taught the kid how to lie, because the untruth was written on his expression brighter than a neon sign.

Jay barked laughter. “Don’t ever play poker, Timbo. Besides, I didn’t ask _ how _ he was, I asked _ where _ he was. But you don’t know, do you? What the hell is going on? I leave town for a few years and you guys lose _ Batman_?”

“Why do you care?” Babs asked, sarcasm heavy in her tone.

“The guy _ was _ the closest thing I had to a good dad,” Jay shot back. And damn, he needed to watch his temper or they’d goad him into saying more shit that wasn’t really relevant. 

“That didn’t stop you from trying to kill him,” Tim snapped. Funny, he sounded more angry about that than his own Jay-induced hospital visit.

“I ended up _ not _ killing him, though,” Jay replied, forcing himself to fake a calm he didn’t feel. “And trust me, if I wanted him dead, he’d be dead.”

“Yes, you’re very good at killing,” Babs said levelly. “Which is why you should know to stay out of Gotham. Yet you’re here.”

“You know who I’m with,” Jay replied. “They might not be on speaking terms these days, and I’m probably most of the reason for that, but Talia still cares about Bruce. We’re both _ worried _ about him, Babs. And Dick couldn’t give us a straight answer over the phone, which is why I had to come in and showboat around the East End until you guys picked me up. Gotta give you props, you’re awful quick on the uptake. Little paranoid with Daddy Bats missing?”

“How’d you know he was missing?” Tim demanded with a scowl.

Babs sighed. “He didn’t until you said so. We can’t really hide it from him anyway. Jay, where’s Talia?”

“Nowhere near Gotham,” he replied. “And she knows you guys, she probably switched hotels so even if you get her last known location outta me, you won’t find her there. Speaking of T, what time is it?”

“Why does that matter?” Babs asked.

Jay smirked at her. “Because the kids here are good, they picked me up right after I called in to her. But she was expecting me to call again in the morning, so I’m wondering if I missed a call-in.”

He’d thought about not giving them that information. On the whole, though, he didn’t want Talia coming here. Not when things were so tense. An angry protective Alpha wouldn’t help matters much when none of them really trusted each other and the mystery of Bruce’s disappearance still needed to be solved. Tim and Babs were both Beta, but he didn’t know Cass’ designation and couldn’t catch a whiff to guess. If she was Alpha, Talia being unsuppressed and furious would set her off even if Cass was taking good suppressants.

Babs was making the same calculations. “How many missed calls before she comes after you?” she asked.

“I argued her down to two, but I’m betting she won’t stay put after I miss just one,” Jay said. “She’s Alpha through and through, Babs. Meaning overprotective as hell. Trust me, you do _ not _ want her storming the Bat Cave.”

“She can _ try_,” Tim muttered.

Babs shook her head slightly. “It’s five in the morning. If we give you a phone, can you stop her from coming in?”

Jay shrugged. “I could try, but why should I? I’m not liking the accommodations very much. You guys knocked me out, stripped me, took my blood, God only knows what else. Maybe I should let her ride to my rescue.”

“If you wanted that, you wouldn’t have mentioned it to us in the first place,” Babs said shrewdly. 

Any further negotiations stopped as more footsteps approached. Jay knew who he was going to see next, and his stomach still flip-flopped.

Dick Grayson in the Batsuit, with the cowl pulled off so his gorgeous blue eyes bored into Jay like nine millimeter bullets striking right in his skull. Jay tried to keep his gaze and stance aloof, his smile easy, and he totally ignored the blonde girl in purple beside Dick as he locked gazes with the man who’d once been his closest friend. “Hey there, Dickie-Bird,” Jay said. “How’s about you let an ex-Robin out of the cage and feed me breakfast?”

Those eyes were cold as they swept over Jay, and he turned to Babs. “Toxicology’s clean. He’s in perfect health. And his hormone levels are normal for a fully-suppressed Omega.”

Jay felt a flash of hurt and stamped on it. It didn’t matter that he’d just baldly stated Jay’s designation, or that Tim and the blonde girl looked surprised by it. “That reminds me, kids, I’m gonna need my suppressant dose pretty soon. I normally take it around four, our time, which means I’ll need it at … about nine, here.” He grinned fiercely. “Unless you’re planning on letting me come into heat and using me for bait.”

All of them recoiled at just the thought. Jay just laughed. “I get it now. You’re surprised I’m suppressed. You think because Talia isn’t, she’s controlling me somehow. You really do think I’m just her leashed pet. Is it really_ that _ hard to believe I’d choose Talia? Nah, don’t answer that, but now you know why you’re not on the Christmas list.”

“Just because she isn’t overtly commanding you doesn’t mean she isn’t influencing you,” Tim retorted.

Jay rolled his eyes. “Wouldn’t do her much good. This is me we’re talking about, the original defiant Omega. Damn, Dick, you think I didn’t learn how to tell an Alpha to go pound salt, living here? _ You _ taught me that. Neither of us ever took orders from the big man if we thought he was wrong.”

Dick addressed him for the first time, his voice tense. “Neither of us was screwing Bruce, either.”

Jay moved toward the glass, clicking his tongue reproachfully - the same sound Talia made when she was annoyed. “Come on now. I’m not screwing Talia. It’s _ lovemaking_.” He let the syllables turn saccharine, watching Dick’s handsome face twist in disgust, and then Jay growled, “Unless I’m in heat, in which case we fuck like mink. Did you ever go through heat with an Alpha, Dickie-Bird? ‘Cause you _ really _ don’t know what you’re missing.”

“That’s enough,” Babs said. “Snarking at each other doesn’t solve anything. Cass?”

The girl hadn’t spoken the whole time, but she hadn’t taken her eyes off Jay, either. She turned to Babs then, and said simply, “Not scared.”

“You don’t need to be,” Jay laughed. “You could probably kick the crap out of everyone in the room.”

She looked at him then, those dark eyes too wise for her age. “_You_, not scared. Not … controlled.”

“You can’t tell that just from observation,” Dick protested.

Cass looked up at him. “Miss him. Love so much it hurts.”

Dick flinched, and Jay made himself relax, as something angry and hurt way down deep in his chest went quiet. “Yeah, I miss you too, Dick,” Jay said softly. “I knew I wasn’t welcome here, after the way I left. No point in reminiscing about what’s gone.”

“You didn’t have to leave, Jaybird,” Dick said, very quietly. “We could’ve helped you.”

“You wouldn’t let _ Talia _ in, though,” Jay replied. “Neither would Bruce. By the time I got my head right enough to think about fixing my fuck-ups here, I was already head over heels for her. And damn, none of you think about this, but maybe Talia needs someone to choose _ her _ for once. Nobody else ever has, not her dad or Bruce, they all chuck her under the bus and expect her to still be loyal anyway.”

“You really think you’re the one who chose her,” Dick said, skeptical. “When she put you in the Lazarus Pit and trained you and financed you. And probably helped you through your heats.”

Jay smacked the wall with his fist, feeling it sting and not caring. How _ dare _ he! “Fuck off, Dick. You don’t know jack about her, and apparently you forgot everything you ever knew about me. For your information, Talia didn’t fucking know I was Omega. And when the shitty black market suppressants I was taking gave out, no, she _ didn’t _ offer to help me out the way _ you _ used to. We both huffed peppermint oil and took out a whole gang of Omega traffickers to keep our minds off it, instead.” Never mind that they’d ended up in bed at the end - that _ was _ a choice, one made while his mind was clear. The last thing Talia wanted was to take advantage of an Omega, but Dick didn’t need or deserve to know all the reasons why. 

Dick frowned, but Babs looked at Cass, who nodded. “He’s telling the truth,” Babs said. “And Dick, we’re going to have a problem shortly. If he doesn’t call her, Talia will show up here. You know she can get into the Cave.”

That only made him scowl more, and for a moment his gaze landed on Cass. Jay barked a laugh. “Dude, we all know that’s Lady Shiva’s daughter. Don’t set her up to fight Talia for you. She _ knows _ Shiva. If T has to take the girl down to get to me, she won’t fight fair.”

The blonde finally spoke up. “Guys, we see abused Omegas all the time. He doesn’t read like one. And if we’re wrong about that, maybe we’re wrong about other stuff, too.”

“You don’t know him, Steph,” Tim said severely, and she wilted a little.

“It’s been seven years,” Babs said. “Maybe we don’t know him anymore, either. And maybe we’re letting old information cloud our judgment.”

Dick cut her a look full of offense, but then he sighed. “_Damn_. As often as I wished we could get Jay back… Fine. All right. But Jay, one wrong move and you’re going right back in the cell.”

“Yes, mother, I promise I’ll be a good boy,” Jay shot back. 

That got him a frown, but Dick unlocked the cell anyway, and all of them stood back, hands going to their weapons unconsciously. Jay strolled out, surveying them all, and felt some of his tension dissipate just at being free. He was still unarmed and outnumbered, but he’d take bad odds over no chance at all.

Jay rolled his shoulders, regarded the assembled family, then turned to the blonde and stuck his hand out. “We haven’t been introduced. I’m Jason Todd, ex-Robin, died on the job but I got better, currently Red Hood. You might’ve seen a tragic memorial with my name on it.”

She met his gaze frankly; unlike the rest, she sounded like Crown Point. This one came from his side of town. She took his hand and shook firmly. “Stephanie Brown, formerly Spoiler, also ex-Robin, current Batgirl. Nice to meet you, please don’t kill anybody.”

“Since you asked nicely,” Jay laughed.

When he went to draw his hand back, she hung on an extra second, her eyes serious. “They tell me you were out of your mind when you went after Tim. If not for that, I’d kick your ass, and nevermind you’re unarmed.”

Only then did she let go, and Jay grinned, his respect for her going up a notch. “I’m pretty well trained in unarmed, unarmored combat, but thanks for the pass. For what it’s worth, I regret that more than anything else that happened while I was out of my head. It’s not Timbo’s fault he happened to fit my hand-me-downs.”

He turned to Tim next, not offering his hand - he doubted Tim would take it - but Jay couldn’t let this go unsaid. “I’m sorry, Tim. I was messed up in the head, and all I could see was that he’d replaced me. But I still shouldn’t have taken it out on you.” The apology hurt to give, in front of these people who were watching him for weakness, but Jay’s integrity wouldn’t let him ignore it.

Tim shook his head. “Apology accepted, but it wasn’t like that. You didn’t see what he was like, after you… Batman _ needed _ a Robin. Nobody wanted to erase your legacy, least of all me.”

The thought that some of these people had mourned his death - that he’d been as wrong about them as they were about him - was enough to give Jay the creeps. He tried not to think about that time, when his mind had been stuck on revenge and remembering his own death. His own bloody, protracted, painful, humiliating death. Putting Joker in his grave had helped, but mostly it was just time, getting some distance from everything that hurt to remember.

“Good for him,” Jay said flippantly. “Where _ is _ he, anyway?”

“We’ll talk over breakfast,” Babs said. “Come upstairs.”


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone reading and commenting. I appreciate all of you!

The whole pack of them left together, keeping Jay firmly in the middle of their group as they headed upstairs. Babs took the elevator with Steph, and she met them at the top again. Dick put himself between her and Jay, and Jay just grinned a little at his protectiveness. 

As they walked into the kitchen, the smile fell, because they interrupted Alfred in the act of bringing a tray of coffee to the table. He caught sight of Jay, and went very still. He must’ve known they had him, but it had to be a shock to see him, here and now.

Jay himself couldn’t keep up the bravado anymore, and smiled sheepishly at Alfred. “Hey. Long time no see, Alfred.”

“Master Jason,” he said after a moment, whole novels of unspoken things in his tone, and set down the coffee carefully. “It _ is _ good to see you again.”

He should’ve held back, played his cards closer to his chest, been more careful in his reactions. He was here for information, not a family reunion. But Jay couldn’t pretend not to care about Alfred. Fuck it all, some things were more important than getting intel. Jay stepped forward, ignoring the way Dick tensed up, and hugged the old man. “Good to see you, too,” he managed to say, his voice hoarse.

Alfred patted his back affectionately. “It has been entirely too long. Allow me to make you breakfast. Do you still prefer your bacon extra crispy?”

“Just this side of burnt,” Jay managed, stepping back. He rubbed at his eyes briefly, his throat tight with emotion. 

Only then did Jay see who Alfred had been making coffee for, sitting at the table in silence. “Well hi, Selina,” he said, taking a seat. “Surprised you didn’t come down for bodyguard duty. These guys think I can take all five of ‘em without a weapon.”

“They know who trained you,” Selina said stiffly, taking the coffee.

Jay gave her a charming grin. Once upon a time, she and Talia had been at odds over Bruce, but that was nothing to do with him. Jay happened to know that Talia bore her no ill will, and he’d never had any issues with her. So he opted for disarming; the sooner he convinced all of them that he wasn’t here as part of some Grand Evil Plan, the sooner he’d get some answers. “Yeah, I’m good, but I’m not _ that _ good. Gimme back my knife and body armor and I’d give you all a run for your money, but that’s not why I’m here.”

Jay turned to face Babs as she pulled up to the other end of the table. “Hey, Babs, when are you gonna tell me what’s going on?”

“When we have a reason to trust you,” Dick cut in.

Babs looked at him skeptically. “The most logical explanation is that he’s telling the truth. I’m curious as to how closely you’re monitoring Gotham, though, to have spotted the switch.”

Jay laughed. “_That _ was an accident. I mean, we keep tabs, but we were literally just in Metropolis eating lunch and saw video of Dick in the suit on the news.”

“What were you doing in Metropolis?” Dick asked.

“Taking care of business,” Jay said. “You know the League has assets everywhere. She decided to handle this personally, and I decided to have a bacon cheeseburger for lunch since we were in the ‘States. The place we stopped for lunch was playing the news on TV.” 

“Convenient,” Dick muttered, but his heart wasn’t really in it. 

Babs sighed. “We can’t keep it from them forever. Talia has the connections to find out anything she needs to. So we might as well.”

“See, this is why I like you,” Jay said, as Alfred brought in coffee for all of them. “You’re the practical one.”

Tim, though, said, “Call Talia first.”

Steph added, “If she’s not in Gotham, she needs to stay out. It’s dangerous for Alphas here right now.”

“Yeah, we caught on to that,” Jay replied. “Fine, I’ll call her and warn her off, but you should really tell me what’s up first. She’s not gonna be swayed by vague portents of doom - not when I’m here, anyway. You guys work for Bruce, you know how overprotective Alphas can be.”

Dick frowned. “Is she still running around unsuppressed?”

“Just the Chinese herbs and yoga,” Jay said. “Me, I take WayneMed suppressants. No side effects. But Talia says it keeps her mind and her nose sharper. I gotta admit, she can track like a bloodhound.”

“She would be a major target,” Babs said. “The first round of missing persons were unsuppressed Alphas. Whoever is behind this is targeting them. They moved on to known Alphas who take suppressants once they ran out of unsuppressed individuals.”

“What’re they doing, collecting them?” Jay asked, a chill down his spine. “Or have you found bodies?”

“Some bodies,” Dick admitted. “Some turned back up, and they’re in a special ward at Arkham. Some are still missing.”

“Bruce is one of the missing,” Jay said, his stomach churning. “Fuck, he was trying to track down whoever’s doing it, and got snatched, didn’t he?”

“Not … quite,” Selina said, very quietly. She was stirring her coffee idly instead of drinking it. When she looked up, her eyes were haunted. “The missing ones, we think whoever’s doing this is holding them somewhere. We were all trying to find the kidnappers and the missing Alphas. In the middle of that, Bruce was taken, but he’s not missing. He’s like the ones who ended up in Arkham. Only no one can _ catch _ him to lock him up, so he’s still out there.”

The sizzling bacon suddenly didn’t smell quite as delicious. Jay looked at all of them, seeing the fear in their faces. “The ones in Arkham, what happened to them? What’s wrong with Bruce?”

Babs sighed. “Whatever was done to them - and none of them are in a state to give us any information - makes them hyper-aggressive. Almost like rut, but much more intense. The Alphas in Arkham all have to be isolated from each other. If they get a whiff of another Alpha, even one of the doctors who are all suppressed, they fly into a rage and try to batter down the walls. None of them are verbal or coherent. It’s like they’ve been reduced to pure instinct, and only the violent instincts at that.”

“The deaths are either from obvious trauma, or from cardiac events or burst aneurysms,” Dick supplied. “Being in rut causes the blood pressure to spike. Arkham lost a man early on, before they got them scent-isolated. They put him in restraints to keep him from hurting himself, but a ten-minute consultation with an Alpha doctor drove him into such a frenzy that he suffered a massive coronary.”

Jay swore under his breath. He knew about the stresses rut caused; he and Talia had figured out several ways to bring her down quickly so she wouldn’t suffer the worst of the side effects. “And nothing brings them out of it?” he asked.

“Administering suppressants has an inverse effect,” Babs said. “They become _ more _ savage. So far everything anyone has tried has either had _ no _ effect, or made it worse. And none of them can tell us what even happened to them.”

“We’ve got samples from everyone in Arkham,” Tim said. “We’re running our own analysis, too. But we don’t have good baselines on any of the victims. If we could get Bruce, we could compare to all the times he’s run a tox screen on himself.”

“But we can’t get Bruce,” Steph said. “He ditched the trackers in the uniform. And he doesn’t stay anywhere long enough for us to get a fix on him.”

Jay sat back, looking at all of them. Alfred brought in breakfast, but for once none of them dove in. Finally, Jay said, “Yeah, you’re right, this is … _ damn_. Is Bruce just hiding, or still going after criminals?”

“Yes, more violently than ever,” Babs said. “It’s been pure luck that he hasn’t killed someone.”

“Not luck,” Jay replied. “He’s holding to the code even if nothing else sticks or makes sense. I know what Alphas in rut are like better than you guys, remember. There’s some lines Talia won’t ever cross, period, and killing is the line for him. We have to catch him.”

“_We? _” Dick asked skeptically.

Jay scoffed. “Yeah, _ we_. Like I’d leave you to handle this now that I know what’s wrong. Talia and I were both trained the same way Bruce was. If anyone can find him, we can.”


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is a day late - I'm on vacation for a week and my schedule is FUBAR.

Talia’s phone rang, the call coming from the Manor, and she answered before the first ring was even complete. “This is Talia,” she said levelly.

“Hey, it’s me,” Jason said, and he sounded a little tense, but not hurt. A knot of worry in her chest began to loosen. 

“Where are you?” she asked.

“Sitting down to a full English breakfast with the whole damn family,” he replied. “Also, you’re on speakerphone.”

Talia gave a fleeting smile. “What happened to your phone?”

“Still down in the Cave with the rest of my kit. They picked me up right after I spoke to you last. Now that I know what’s up, warning you was more important than getting my stuff back.” He spoke normally, not sounding under duress at all. 

“As we expected,” she said. “I know they have excellent voiceprint technology. I need to confirm this is you, Jay.”

He chuckled. “We really need a standard code.”

“Codes are easily broken. Tell me something only you know.”

Jay laughed, and she knew it was him, he was safe … and he was going to take the opportunity to be a pest. It had taken Talia years to really be comfortable with his good-natured teasing, but he so plainly meant no harm by it that she could not take offense. She smiled, still, relieved to know he felt comfortable enough to be playful.

“Let’s see … despite your aristocratic tastes, you love street food. I was afraid you were gonna run off with the whole falafel cart in Metropolis the other day. And I still haven’t forgiven you for letting me eat freakin’ _ chicken hearts _ at that yakitori place.”

“Yes, that’s quite specific enough,” she replied. “Also you did say they were delicious.”

“Before I knew they were hearts. At least I had the sense to stay away from the gizzards.”

If she hadn’t been on speakerphone, with most of her former Beloved’s family listening in, Talia would have chuckled. He would hear the amusement in her tone, anyway. “So. What news?”

Now the worry was back in his voice. “T, someone out there is targeting Alphas. Kidnapping them, and doing something that puts them into rut dialed up to twelve, basically. Some people have died from it, some are still missing, and the ones they’ve found are locked up in Arkham, totally out of their heads.”

Her throat was suddenly tight. “And Bruce?”

“Same. He’s gone … feral, basically. There’s no cure yet despite everyone throwing their resources at it. The brain trust here thinks they have a better shot of figuring out what was done and how to fix it if they can get hold of Bruce. He has plenty of medical records on file. But finding him has been impossible.”

“You won’t find him if he doesn’t wish to be found,” Talia replied. “He’ll have to be lured out.”

“That’s what I’m thinking, too,” Jay said grimly. “We’ll have to sort out some way of doing that. You’re the one who’d know what would draw an Alpha … unless one of you guys is Alpha?”

That last was directed at the rest, listening to their conversation, and Talia heard a young woman’s voice say, “Nope, all Betas and Omegas.”

Jay gave a short laugh. “Figures. Well, T, that makes you the consultant. Just stay in Metropolis, okay? We don’t know how they’re finding and snatching up the Alphas, and I won’t risk you.”

So very protective, as always - they were both deeply concerned for one another’s well-being. Which made what she had to say next more difficult. “I’m afraid it’s a little late for that. I left Metropolis the same night you did.”

He sighed in aggravation. “Okay, fine, I figured you wouldn’t stay in a hotel that could be tracked back, in case the situation here was hostile. _ Please _ tell me you booked into Blüdhaven or someplace else safely outside the city?”

A muttered exclamation from Grayson, and Talia replied, “I did take a room in Blüdhaven. But I am not there at present.”

Another pause. “Where are you?”

“I have GPS tracking on your phone,” Talia replied. “I knew the moment you were brought to the Manor.”

She could almost hear him rolling his eyes. “Fucking overprotective… _ Fine. _ Talia, where the hell are you?”

“Parked on the roadside half a mile from the Manor,” she admitted, with some chagrin.

He swore, pungently and creatively in several languages, ending with, “Fucking _ hell_, Talia! We knew something was up with Alphas in this town. And you said you’d give me _ two _ missed calls before you came after me! Do you have any fucking clue what I’d do if someone got _ you_?!”

“Kill them,” she replied flatly. “I would not have breached the perimeter until you missed that second call, but I made certain I’d be in position to do so.”

“You impatient… Dammit, get your ass up here, then. They might already be tracking you. Fuck, Talia, I told you I had this in hand!”

“And you were right,” she admitted. “Still, I do not like to risk you. You did much the same in Madrid.”

“I _ saw _ those fuckers in Madrid tailing your car,” he spat. “Of course I jumped the gun.”

“I could have handled them. As I could handle whoever is kidnapping Alphas in Gotham. I did not come unarmed.”

“Yeah, and I bet Bruce thought the same damn thing,” Jay shot back, which gave her a chill.

Meanwhile Grayson broke into the conversation. “Who said you could invite her here?”

And Jay responded just as hotly to him. “She’s already in town, Dick. I’m not leaving her hanging in the wind when some fucking psycho is snatching Alphas. This place is secure, at least, or you wouldn’t all be here.”

“Oh, come on,” a new voice said, and Talia bared her teeth to recognize it. Selina Kyle. “Dick, what do you think _ Bruce _ would do?”

“Bruce has never had good judgment where she’s concerned,” Dick shot back.

“I have more reason than you do, not to want Talia here,” Selina replied sharply. “But not even _ I’m _ willing to abandon her to whoever did this to Bruce.”

Talia swallowed back her anger at Grayson to say levelly, “I appreciate your forbearance, Cat. I would not wish to intrude upon your house.”

“It’s not my house, it’s his,” Selina told her. 

Jay cut in. “Yeah, but you’re the lady of the house and we both know it.”

That got a throaty laugh. “First of all, I’m _ no _ lady. Second, I don’t even live here, I still have my apartment. I don’t like being anyone’s accessory.”

“You _ could _ live here,” Dick put in. “Bruce offered.”

“I would think that _ you _ would be the last person to undermine anyone’s desire for independence,” Talia said.

Barbara spoke up then. “Fine, I’ve got seniority, and I say she can stay here. Anyone want to countermand that?”

“I did not intend to cause this strife,” Talia said into the taut silence. “I can manage elsewhere.”

“Not when we don’t know who or what is doing this,” Jay said staunchly. 

“Fine, I know when I’m outvoted,” Dick said irritably. “Come on, Talia.”

His dislike of her had never abated, and Talia massaged her temples, trying to control her own reactions. They had too much history of quarreling between them, and it was only natural. A man’s eldest son would not lightly accept a woman scant years his senior as his father’s paramour. Nor did Grayson approve of her father’s methods. He had always seen her as a threat.

And she had not done anything to change that impression. Talia knew she had been utterly infatuated with Bruce, and smugly assured that he would always choose her over a temperamental child. Even in those days, she had seen herself as being vastly more mature than Grayson despite the closeness of their ages. She had proven herself wrong by gloating when Bruce chose her over his son. 

But this was a bridge quite thoroughly burned, and even now his unfounded suspicions and ever-present anger still pricked her temper. It did not help that Grayson was Omega, and had thoroughly dismantled his instinct to submit. She expected to be, if not obeyed, at least respected - and he despised and defied her at every turn.

Before she could think of anything to say to keep the peace between them, Jay spoke up. “Hey, T? One more thing. Tell me the hotel you took in Blüdhaven is secure. You know what I’m worried about, right?”

Khairah, of course. “The hotel has the highest possible security. I left strict orders that the room was not to be disturbed, for any reason. I will call in to check on the situation regularly.”

He sounded worried, still. “Babs, has anyone been taken from Blüdhaven?”

“No, the disappearances are all from Gotham proper. Mostly from the East End and downtown,” came the answer.

Talia and Jay both breathed a sigh of relief at that. “Open the gates, then. I’ll drive around to the front.” A pause, and in the interest of keeping the peace, Talia added something that life under her father’s rule had made difficult to say even now. “Thank you. I appreciate having the Manor’s security and sanctuary. Thank you all.”


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is late - I've been on a whirlwind vacation with someone whose sleep-cycle is the opposite of mine, so I'm thoroughly exhausted.

Talia left the rental car under the portico and strode up to the front doors. Alfred opened them as she arrived, and inclined his head slightly. “Welcome, Ms. al Ghul.”

Her smile was genuine; she had always liked the butler, knowing that many of Bruce’s best traits had been shaped by him. “Thank you very much, Alfred.”

“You are in time for breakfast, if you wish,” he replied. “I’m afraid we haven’t proper coffee in stock at the moment.”

“Tea will be fine,” she told him, remembering that when she had been a frequent visitor here, he had learned to make coffee in the Arabic fashion. That simple courtesy had been very much appreciated.

The rest of them had come into the hallway to meet her, and the part of her that was forever a tactician noted numbers and condition and possible weaponry. Gordon, Grayson, Drake, and the Cat she had met. Lady Shiva’s daughter she knew by reputation. The blonde girl had to be Stephanie Brown, of whom Talia had heard reports during her stint as Spoiler and briefly as Robin. She had taken up the mantle of Batgirl when Cain moved on to become Black Bat.

A formidable array, surely, but Talia had no time or interest for more than a cursory glance at them. She had eyes only for Jason, and he looked at her steadily, fearlessly. This was, after all, his home in ways that all the places they’d lived in the last seven years never could be.

Talia stepped close to him, ignoring the rest despite Grayson’s glowering and Cain’s tension. She touched Jason’s jaw ever so gently, looking into his eyes for the slightest hint of pain or hesitation. “I’m _ fine_,” he insisted, giving her an exasperated smile. “Not even a scratch.”

At that, finally, she could let herself relax enough to deal with the rest of them. Talia turned to regard them, lifting her chin a little in unconscious arrogance. Her nostrils flared to catch their scents, even as her own struck them all.

Alfred, Barbara, Timothy, and Selina did not react, as expected. Talia already knew them for Betas. Richard glowered, his jaw tensing as he ignored his own designation. Cassandra did not react either, and as Talia recalled, both of her parents were Betas, which meant she was likely Beta as well. She stood at ease, having placed herself within strike range - and in position to defend both Barbara and Stephanie. 

Whose eyes widened, and she stepped back. “Jesus Christ, you really _ aren’t _ suppressed,” she blurted out.

Omega, then, and Talia gave a gracious nod. “My apologies. I have been worried for my Omega - that tends to intensify the scent.”

“You’re laying a scent trail a Beta could follow for whoever’s doing this,” Richard said. He was angrier, of course, because Talia had claimed Jay for her own - and Jay had not argued.

“Not in an enclosed vehicle,” Talia pointed out. “What’s done is done, and surely this house is as secure as any. Shall we return to the breakfast I interrupted? I would appreciate a more complete update.”

She was being as polite as she possibly could, despite how the mere _ sight _ of Grayson made her jaw clench. He must have resolved to do the same, for he led them all back to the kitchen. The table there was crowded, with eight, but the formal dining room could easily seat thirty - and family ate here instead, by long tradition.

Barbara gave her the rundown as they ate, with the rest supplying additional details. Talia was quietly dismayed by the number of victims so far. “Twelve dead, eight maddened, and thirteen missing,” she repeated, shaking her head. “This is not someone who intends to stop any time soon.”

“No, and the cops have no leads,” Barbara said. “My father’s tearing his hair out. The only connections between the victims are that they’re Alphas. There’s no signs of forced entry or a struggle in any of the last known locations. And in a city like Gotham, we can’t even be sure that everyone we’re considering missing as part of this is even connected to the case. We’re counting all the missing-persons who are Alpha and who have no obvious signs of foul play as possible victims.”

“Let me see the data on the victims?” Talia asked, and the redhead passed her a tablet. She scrolled through quickly, taking small bites of deliciously-prepared french toast.

The dead were a haphazard mix, all civilians: several homeless, a banker, a window-washer, two businessmen, and a middle school coach. The maddened ones were just as odd a group, including an unemployed bricklayer, a stockbroker, a professional athlete, two known gang members, a registered nurse, and two more who had been homeless. One name on the list of the missing leapt out at her, though, and Talia raised her eyebrows. “Roman Sionis? Are you certain he’s caught up in this?”

“Whoever it is talented enough to take on Batman. They wouldn’t flinch at Black Mask,” Jay supplied.

“Couldn’t happen to a more deserving guy,” Stephanie muttered.

But Barbara said only, “We’re not _ certain _ of anything. The victim profile is all over the place, male and female, young and old, white-collar and blue-collar, wealthy and poor, just about every race, too. I don’t think we can exclude anyone from being a potential victim.”

“And I assume you’ve already fed all the data you can find into your computers, and not come up with, say, a particular restaurant they all frequented,” Talia replied with a sigh.

“Oh, I wish,” Babs said. “The only constant is that all of them either lived or worked in the East End or downtown, but that’s a big area. Whoever’s doing it hunts pretty widely.”

Talia sipped her tea thoughtfully. “It _ is _ a hunt,” she said. “The perpetrator cares only that the prey is Alpha. So they are very mobile, at least while searching for a victim.”

“None of the ferals, and few of the dead, had any injuries,” Timothy supplied. “It seems that whoever’s doing this isn’t doing any physical harm. We’ve found slight bruising consistent with restraints, but nothing else.”

Talia arched an eyebrow, and kept her voice level. “No signs of sexual assault?”

“No, not as victims or perpetrators,” Barbara replied. “Then again, none of the feral Alphas have crossed paths with an Omega in heat, so far.”

Talia didn’t shudder, though she felt an icy trickle of memory at the back of her brain. Jay spoke up instead. “The ones that do have injuries - maybe that’s what happened. Maybe our perp didn’t kill them. Maybe the first person they ran across in a raging rut did it, in self-defense.”

“Two of them killed each other,” Richard said, his tone severe. And of course, he looked right at Talia as he added, “The bite marks matched.”

He must have seen the evidence of old marks on Jay’s collarbone and wrists. Talia just met him, glare for glare, as Barbara spoke again. “Of the dead, one died in Arkham from cardiac arrest. One was found in an alley where there had obviously been a fight. He had blunt force trauma and stab wounds - that fits your hypothesis, Jay. Three were found on the streets, dead of cardiac conditions or in one case an aneurysm. Five were discovered in a different location than where they’d died, also split between cardiac and aneurysms, so they likely died while in captivity and our perpetrator dumped the bodies.” 

Talia nodded, all of that making sense, and then Barbara cut a sharp look at Richard before continuing, “The last two were also moved after death, but their injuries show that they attacked one another. One died of an apparent heart attack, as his wounds would have been survivable with proper care. The other died of exsanguination.”

And Richard supplied, still looking judgmentally at Talia, “His throat was ripped out. By the other man’s _ teeth_.”

Meeting his gaze, Talia shot back, “How inefficient. Even unarmed, I find strangulation much simpler and more effective.”

At least his furious glare was somewhat satisfying.


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updating three times this week, since I was late last week. So expect a chapter on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

Speaking of blood pressure, that little remark had to’ve driven Dick’s up by ten or twenty points. Jay put his hand over Talia’s and looked at her reproachfully. “Hey, knock it off,” he told her. “Just ‘cause he’s being a dick doesn’t mean you should, too. At least his name is his excuse.” She settled, however reluctantly, at his touch.

Dick drew in breath to reply, but Babs touched his elbow. “Stop trying to provoke her,” she scolded gently. “As much as you two enjoy bickering, this is not the time. We’re all under too much stress, and what we’re trying to do is too important.”

“So be nice, both of you,” Jay concluded. And wasn’t this weird, _ him _ of all people playing peacemaker? “I can tell you, I’m not surprised by that killing. We’ve run across some Alphas who let their instincts rule them, and it gets pretty brutal.”

“That gang in Russia,” Talia murmured. Jay nodded; that group had been into human trafficking, but they fought amongst themselves pretty viciously, too. Apparently they settled all questions by right of combat, and when he and Talia tracked down their headquarters, they found one older Alpha dying after a brutal beating. His still-enraged successor had been perfectly willing to attack them unarmed. That just made killing him easier, though.

Jay mused aloud, “It sounds like the fight wasn’t part of our perp’s plan. Maybe they couldn’t keep them adequately contained either.”

Talia scrolled through the data again. “The dead appear to have been mainly among the first group of people reported missing. Whoever is doing this is getting better at keeping them alive.”

Barbara nodded. “And keeping them contained. The missing list is mostly recent; the ones who went feral were taken earlier.”

Jay leaned back thoughtfully, trying to put all the pieces together. “They’re trying to _ do _ something. This isn’t a personal motive, it’s not about sex, there’s none of the traditional markers for a serial killer. It’s something else. And whatever it is, if survivability is part of the goal, they’re getting better at it.”

“What could they be trying to do that requires them to kidnap Alphas?” Stephanie asked, frowning.

Talia tapped her nails on the table. “Are these profiles in order by when they were taken?”

Babs told her, “Yes. The first one taken was also the first one found dead. The coach.” 

Talia scrolled to that one again, opening all the information Babs had. “It says he was recently terminated from his position at a school. Do we know why?”

Babs reached for the tablet, Talia handed it back, and the redhead went searching. “Hmm. Nothing on the school servers. Just that he was terminated. In the middle of the school year, too. That _ is _ odd. I don’t know why no one else has followed this up. Maybe because he wasn’t the first one found…”

“What could the school be hiding?” Dick asked.

A few more key presses, and Jay saw Babs’ eyebrows go up. “_Oh. _ Well, that’s … interesting. The DA has his name on sealed indictments.”

“Can you get into them?” Jay asked.

“No, but I can see some of the metadata … oh. Damn.” Babs sighed, and rubbed her temples. 

“What is it?” Dick asked.

“The officers listed as witnesses for the state. They’re in the special victims unit.” She looked up, meeting everyone’s eyes. “No wonder the school isn’t talking. If he abused a child…” 

Jay felt Talia go tense, thrumming like piano wire, though she gave no outward sign. “Then good riddance,” she said levelly. “I would not suffer such a man to live. If that is the case, we need to find out which children he’s accused of harming. The clue to our perpetrator might be in their identities.”

“That’s going to be kept very much confidential,” Babs said. “I might be able to get Dad to pull some strings, but it’s dicey. If this case is what we think it is, they want to protect the victims.”

“What makes you think it’s related?” Tim asked. “If it was just the one guy, maybe, but you think whoever’s doing this is going on a crusade against abusive Alphas?”

“No, nothing so discretionary as that,” Talia replied. “They took Bruce, and he is one of the most carefully ethical men in existence. They are pursuing _ all _ Alphas, any they can catch. Which means the first might have given them their start, but the rest are part of something larger. I’ve seen records in my father’s library of experiments from the Second World War…”

Babs sat up sharply. “Of course! They’re trying for _ permanent _ suppression.”

Dick frowned. “You can’t cure a designation.”

“Nor is it a disease of which one should seek to be cured,” Talia shot back.

“Whoa, just a minute,” Jay said, holding out his hands to stop the incessant bickering. “Just what are we talking about here?”

Babs and Talia glanced at each other; Talia nodded, and Babs spoke. “There was a _ lot _ of medical experimentation going on among the Axis powers in World War II. Unit 731, Josef Mengele’s twin studies, that sort of thing. One thing the Nazis were especially interested in was permanently suppressing designation. That research, heinous and barbaric as it was, is part of what led to the development of modern suppressants.”

All of them looked grave at that, and Tim put in, “A lot of modern medicine, period, goes back to that. The experiments they did … no ethical scientist would repeat them. I think most medical researchers shortly after the war thought of it as being more disrespectful of the victims, _ not _ to use the data to save lives.”

Babs shivered. “Anyway, one of the things they learned is that if you give them the right drugs at an early enough age, you can permanently mute someone’s designation. They won't ever go into heat or rut, Alphas never develop command-voice. Not _ change _ it - give enough hormones to a child, and their physical presentation may change, but it won’t turn a Beta into an Alpha, or an Omega into a Beta. The scent sensitivity and the emotional aspect remain the same. And once they’ve reached adulthood, not even surgical neutering will completely mute an Alpha or Omega. Despite what we know of designation being primarily hormonal in nature, there must be more to it than just that. And no one has completely unlocked it yet.”

“No acceptable scientific explanation exists for the effect of an Alpha’s command-voice,” Talia said quietly. “The research journals either skirt the issue or claim it’s psychosomatic. The Eastern view is that designations are more … I hesitate to say ‘spiritual’, in this company. But more related to one’s chi than to anything Western medicine has yet learned to measure. Still, nowhere in any of the literature is there so much as a hint that an adult’s designation can be altered or permanently suppressed.”

Babs continued, “The surviving data from those old experiments does indicate that some of the adult Alphas they tried to permanently suppress were driven insane. This was in the concentration camps, so we don’t have very good records of the failed experiments. But if you’re right, and whoever’s behind this is trying to mute adult Alphas, then the results make sense.”

Jay leaned his elbows against the table. “And given that they started with a coach who’s got a sealed investigation going on, maybe our perpetrator is the parent of one of his victims.”

A pause, as they all digested that, and Jay knew Talia was more keyed-up than ever. She knew too well that being Alpha was as much a liability in its own way as being Omega, but she was also proud of her designation in a way he had never been. Being Alpha set her apart, marked her as a natural leader, made her a superior warrior … and in the end it had made her the Demon’s successor, not just his daughter. It probably had never occurred to her to want to be ‘cured’ of something that was such an innate part of her. The whole concept was probably horrifying.

Cass spoke up then, her voice quiet. “Bruce?”

“The coach might give us who’s behind this, but Bruce is our key to working out what they did and how to reverse it,” Dick said. “We have to find him.”


	27. Chapter 27

Talia found Babs’ phrasing eerily correct. A _muted_ Alpha, one denied the experience and expression of the designation, one who did not go into rut at the scent of Omega heat … and presumably, one who did not possess the increased strength and stamina. The lack of command-voice unnerved her most; she did not often use it, and almost never with Jay, at least outside the bedroom. But it was good to have, another weapon in her arsenal, capable of halting an attacker long enough to buy time for defense.

The prospect made her feel muzzled, her voice in the world silenced. She would in effect be just another Beta, unremarkable as her father’s other children, many of whom had never even met Ra’s al Ghul. For them, he was just a story their mothers told, a brush with legend. 

She suppressed her dismay at the thought to focus as Cassandra spoke. Talia found herself agreeing with Richard. “Find him _and_ capture him,” she pointed out. “The first may be easier than the second.”

Barbara scrolled through her tablet again. “Arkham had issues capturing the maddened Alphas,” she told them. “Our usual knockout gas might not work. We’re going to need a careful blend of sedatives, and they’re going to have to be administered at high doses. Higher than even an Alpha dose.”

“Finding him is going to be difficult enough,” Richard said. “He avoids us. Trust me, we’ve _tried_ to track him down, but Tim and Cass are the only ones who caught sight of him.”

“And he left the moment I spotted him,” Timothy said. “He doesn’t want to be caught.”

“Disappeared,” Cassandra put in, sounding vexed.

“More likely, he knows he is not himself, and does not wish to harm you,” Talia pointed out.

“Too bad he doesn’t have an Omega,” Jay said. “I’ve got this perfume oil that mimics the scent of heat really well. That’d be one sure way of catching him.”

Talia glanced at him, thinking there were better ways to have revealed that information, and saw Richard’s lip curl in disgust. But it was Timothy who asked in disbelief, “Why would you even _have_ that?”

Jay grinned toothily at him, and said, “Strictly recreational purposes, Timmy.” Talia chipped him in the ankle, and he barely flinched, but did notice Richard’s glower. “What, Dick? Kori’s Alpha, isn’t she? You really never went there?”

“No,” Richard said icily.

“Don’t be an ass,” Talia scolded, and Jay just shrugged. “It does not matter. Even if she were Omega, that is not something we can ask of Ms. Kyle.”

“Yeah, Ms. Kyle has zero interest in playing bait,” the Cat said, and her voice was frazzled with tension. “Rape-tag on the rooftops is _not_ my idea of fun.”

All three of the Omegas at the table flinched at her choice of words, but Talia just looked at her. “He would not hurt you,” she said.

Selina gave her a brittle smile. “He’s _feral_. He’s beating the crooks to a pulp out there. I wouldn’t get within a mile of him anyway, and _definitely_ not with heat-scent on.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Tim said reassuringly. “That stuff doesn’t work on Betas. Right?”

Jay shook his head. “It’d work on anyone. I mean, the Alpha cologne I wear is damn convincing. But it would only make her smell like _an_ Omega in heat. Not _his_ Omega. There’s a difference.”

Meanwhile Selina did not look away from Talia, who only said, “Bruce is not a rapist. Not even feral as he is.”

“He’s an _Alpha_,” Selina insisted.

“Which does _not_ mean rapist,” Talia shot back. 

“Yeah, you have to believe that to live with yourself,” Richard said snidely.

“_Mind your tongue_,” Talia snarled at him in tones of command, and saw Stephanie and Jay both wince as the command - sharpened by her fraying temper - struck them in passing. It did shut Grayson's everlasting mouth, at least for a moment.

And Selina winced, too.

She paused, regarding the Cat, and spoke _very_ carefully. “He has spent his life suppressed, but that does not change what and who he is. Bruce has not killed anyone, has he? Of course not. He is more violent than ever, and yes, predisposition to violence is part of an Alpha’s nature. But he is not a killer.” A thin smile, and for Richard’s sake she said, “Not like me. Yes, I kill. Mostly I kill Alphas who let themselves believe that their designation is an excuse for their crimes. It is _not_. Rut is only desire, it is not mindlessness, and it never excuses rape. So long as he remains Bruce Wayne, he will not harm someone he considers his. Especially not in such a vile manner.”

Silence, the Cat staring at her, the rest of them watching. Reluctantly, Selina said, “Exactly how sure are you of that?”

“I’d stake my life on it,” Talia said. “Which is as well, since our second-best chance of catching him is to let him scent another Alpha in his territory. If we have some notion of where he is, he will come out to challenge me.”

Jay must have caught the drift of her thoughts, because he said, “Have you guys ever even seen an Alpha in rut? One who _wasn’t_ an abusive asshole? The only thing I worry about with _her_ is keeping her from killing anyone who tries to hurt me. Shit, the first time, I was in the kind of heat you only get from taking suppressants for two years straight, she’s _never_ been suppressed, and we went out hunting a gang of pedophile human traffickers. _Without_ masks or nasal filters. Not that it was easy, but rut doesn’t make an Alpha into someone they’re not. And this whole feral thing sounds like rut times ten.”

Another pause, Selina glancing between them, and Cain cocked her head curiously. Finally Richard said, “It still doesn’t matter if you’re not…”

“I was born Omega,” Selina said flatly.


	28. Chapter 28

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back to twice-weekly posting after this, so I'll see you all on Tuesday.
> 
> Thank you all again for the kudos and comments!

Selina made her confession, and saw the looks of surprise on every face. All except Talia, who must have guessed when she flinched at the command. She took a deep breath; to make them understand, she’d have to tell it all. Each word felt chiseled from some granite block of old pain as she spoke. “I presented at _twelve_. Where I grew up, that’s not a good thing. The bastards would try to follow me home. I got real good at outrunning them, but I knew it’d never be enough, because part of me wanted to be caught. And then I’d be like every other Omega girl, pregnant by fourteen, dropping out of school to take care of my kids, hoping like hell the Alpha that knocked me up would at least give me a decent place to live and not smack me around too much. And everyone would look at me like it was _my_ fault.”

She laughed bitterly. “No way was I gonna have _that_. So I got suppressants. One of the first things I stole, actually. Although it turned out to be easier to steal things I could sell and then _buy_ the suppressants. Which is how I ended up attracting the attention of some real professionals, and becoming Catwoman. But by the time I was in a position where I could trust someone, it was too late. I went on suppressants when I was thirteen, and tried to come off at nineteen.”

Her voice turned bleak, and she tried to keep it level. “I finally saw a doctor when I hadn’t come into heat after eight months. He told me I’d … yeah, I like the word ‘muted’ better. I’d muted myself, fucked up my system completely. Not only will I never come into heat, I’m sterile, too. I’ve gotta have regular checkups because there’s a more-than-trivial chance one of my withered-up ovaries will decide to turn cancerous on me.”

A heavy sigh, and she glanced around the table, getting looks of sympathy before resting her gaze on Talia again. “So yeah. That’s my sad life story. You’re more woman than I am, now.”

Selina had never expected to spill her guts like that. Especially not to this woman, whom Bruce still spoke of with wistful longing. Talia’s eyes, a lighter and more piercing green than her own, held her gaze steadily as she spoke. And when the tale was told, the Demon held out her hand across the table.

After a moment’s hesitation, Selina took it, expecting that Talia might sniff her wrist for confirmation. Instead, she simply held her hand in a gesture of comfort.

“You are no less a woman for that,” she said quietly, but that Alpha harmonic ran through her voice as if she thought she could engrave the words into Selina’s mind with it. “A woman is worth more than her womb. And no one should fault you for the choices you made. You had to keep yourself safe. That it had unintended effects is bad luck, not a judgment on you.”

Selina took a deep breath - of air thick with the smell of protective Alpha - and let it out. Talia gave her an encouraging smile and released her hand. Before Selina could respond, Steph cleared her throat.

“Um, speaking as one of those pregnant-at-fourteen Omegas,” she began, and Selina saw a flash of wrath in Talia’s eyes, saw Jay startle - but the rest had already known. “It’s not just Alphas. Dean was Beta. I was young and dumb and horny, and he took advantage.”

“I _am_ Alpha, and men have followed me since my breasts began to show,” Talia said dryly, still looking at Selina. “Still, the fault does not lie with men, nor with Alphas, for we have in this room examples of both who manage to live honorably. The ones who perpetrate such abuse deserve condemnation, not their victims.”

And then, while Selina was still trying to deal with encouragement and support from someone she’d considered a rival, Talia turned to Steph. “And you, Stephanie, you were young certainly, perhaps naive, but far from stupid. You would not soar with _this_ flock if you were not of above average intelligence. The best of us have made errors in judgment; it does not make you a fool.”

Steph needed to hear that, Selina figured, and that low emphasis still lurked in Talia’s voice. This was … not at all how she expected the Demon to behave. 

But then, maybe Babs was right. Maybe time had mellowed her. 

Of course, Dick had to challenge the mood. “You’re being awfully gracious for someone who claimed to love Bruce,” he said, but at least his tone was more perplexed than accusatory. Selina rolled her eyes; funny how _she_ could get over the Demon being here faster than he could.


	29. Chapter 29

Talia caught her first, sarcastic reply between her teeth. It was just as well, for Jason said, “Gracious is her natural state, actually. You forget, Dick, you don’t actually _ know _ her.”

“And you only know what she wants you to,” Grayson insisted.

“_Enough,_” Talia said, barely keeping the command out of her tone. “Richard … can we perhaps agree that you and I met under unfortunate circumstances? Which, yes, were arranged by my father, but the point remains despite the fictitious kidnapping. We made a poor first impression on one another, and followed it up by being … decidedly un-gracious. For years. I’ll take my share of the blame for that, I’ve certainly not treated you well, but Bruce’s _ life _ is at stake here. He is more important than all our old history.” 

He blinked at her in surprise, and Talia continued, “Can you let yourself believe, for a few days at least, that I do in fact give a damn about the man I almost married? And that I am trying, despite all the circumstances, to be civil to you? It’s plain to me that we will need to work together to save him and stop whoever is doing this from harming anyone else.”

“You’re going to call truce _ now_,” he said slowly, almost in disbelief. “With my little brother sitting right beside you, nodding at everything you say like the good little obedient Omega neither of us was raised to be, and _ your name _ inked on his wrist like property.”

Jay bristled, and Talia put a restraining hand on his arm before his temper could run away with him. He’d chosen that tattoo without consulting her, but Richard would not believe it.

Instead, she just tugged her blouse open partway, enough to show the matching tattoo. The first three letters of his name were visible, the rest hidden by her bra, but by his expression Richard had_ not _ expected that. “Does this make me his chattel, then? Richard, I am _ tired _ of fighting you. You’ve grown into a man that anyone of any designation should respect. Would you _ please _ act like it? It’s long past time that you and I stopped behaving like bratty children to one another.”

He looked at Jay then, disbelief in his gaze. “I got the ink first,” Jay said. “All by myself. Yeah, Dick, it’s like that. I’m her Omega - but she’s _ my _ Alpha. The whole possessive thing works both ways. Now can you quit trying to save me from my own damn choices, and get to work on saving the person who’s actually in danger here?”

Silence, until Grayson sighed, the tension going out of him at last. Talia guessed he had been on high alert for the last week, likely not sleeping, solely focused on protecting his family in the absence of their lead Alpha. She had known people who believed Omegas were good for little more than breeding, but clearly they had never been in the presence of one like Grayson. He, like Jason, was fiercely protective of anyone he considered _ his_. And with Bruce gone, he and Barbara were the leaders here, so he took them all as his responsibility.

Into the midst of that already tense situation, _ she _ arrived. On a purely instinctive level, she was a foreign Alpha, one who had never been acknowledged by Richard as legitimately part of the family. Her potent, unsuppressed scent alone had to make him cross and defensive. 

Worse, he _ did _ know her … and everything he knew came from when Talia was much younger, more certain of herself and less in control of her temper. She’d desired Bruce from the moment she met him, and hadn’t cared for his pushy Omega ward at all. Even though Bruce considered Richard his son, not his Omega, there had still been a rivalry between them for his attention and regard. Not once in all the years they’d known each other had Talia and Dick managed to have a conversation that didn’t turn barbed. Even today, when she was trying to assist them all, she’d let habit and irritation sharpen her tongue to sarcastic responses.

Wiser now, Talia wondered if perhaps some personal choices also shaded his dislike of her. Grayson had dated Alphas, but also Betas and Omegas. He was a staunch believer in Omega rights and had spoken out in his public persona against societal pressures on his designation. He would not tolerate discrimination, taking a leadership role in every situation just to prove that an Omega _ could_. Now he looked only at the surface of her relationship with Jay, and assumed that they were a very traditional couple, when that was decidedly not the case. Even if it had been, the right of Omegas to choose their preferred partners and lifestyles also meant the right to choose a ‘traditional’ relationship with an Alpha. Having the choice was of primary importance; progressive elements who tried to pressure Omegas to avoid Alphas were just as much a hindrance as those who insisted they _ must _ marry Alphas. Besides, despite the difference in age and her role as a mentor, Talia had _ not _ pressured Jay into this. _ He _ had pursued _ her_, something the rest likely didn’t know. Richard probably assumed she’d resurrected Jay and groomed him to take Bruce’s place. At some point, they’d have to set the record straight, but she would let Jay handle that. 

Grayson scrubbed a hand over his face as if he could rub away the frown there. “All right. Talia, I’m sorry. I just … yeah, I’ve been a jerk to you, too. I had a lot of reasons for that, but none of them were really good ones.” It clearly was not easy for him to say - but he was intelligent enough to examine his own prejudices with the same clarity she had. And to give her the benefit of the doubt.

With that conciliatory gesture made, she could relax a little. Though Talia had been raised to think of apology as admitting weakness, she could respect Grayson for making one. He took responsibility for his errors rather than denying his fallibility, and over the years she’d come to realize that some of her father’s beliefs were … not conducive to functioning relationships of any kind. So it was with only the ghost of a wince that she replied, “I am sorry, too. Let us work toward the common goal, then, shall we?”

“Let’s,” he replied, and met her gaze levelly. To her own surprise, Talia found herself looking forward to being on civil terms with him; she hadn’t just been saying what Grayson wanted to hear, when she told him she was tired of fighting. 

Not that this made them friends. He still knew too much about the blood on her hands to trust her easily, and she could not forget that he very much disapproved of her relationship with Jay.

Barbara spoke up then. “Bruce has mostly been seen in the vicinity of Crime Alley. This is going to be a team effort, to draw him out and get enough of the knockout gas into him to actually work. Everyone will need canisters of sedative gas. And I’m inclined to send all of you, together.”

“He’ll avoid this big of a group,” Dick fretted.

The Cat sighed, her eyes full of dread. “Since I _ am _ Omega, and his Omega even muted, that heat scent stuff will work perfectly for this, right?”

“No,” Dick and Talia said in unison, surprising themselves and Selina. Talia glanced at him before continuing, “You will be anxious, as well, and if he smells that on you, he’ll be even more aggressive to us, trying to protect you. He cannot help that. The drive to protect is our strongest imperative.” 

Jay leaned forward then, looking at Selina. “You said you were his. So he knows, right? No one else knows about you being Omega, but he does.”

“Yes,” the Cat replied warily. “I managed to wipe all the old records, at least the digital copies.”

Jay nodded. “Which is why you’re holed up here. It _ might _ be enough just for you to show up. If this is just rut on steroids, then he’s gonna be worried about you. T, we might not have to provoke him that hard.”

“I’ll stay downwind, then,” Talia said. “If this does get out of hand, you’ll need someone for him to focus his attacks on. I can let him scent me on the same trail, and he’ll certainly come after me. Then I can keep him in one place long enough for everyone to dose him with knockout gas. There’s no need to risk more than that.”

“We need to be careful,” Tim spoke up. “Talia, your scent is going to drive him even crazier. We don’t want him to die like the one in Arkham.”

“He is in exemplary health, I hope,” Talia said. “He ought to be able to take the strain, for a short time.”

Richard scrubbed a hand over his face. “I hate risking it, but we _ have _ to get him back. He’s the key to all of it.”

Talia nodded. “And in the interest of sparing him, I am going to need to borrow weapons. All of mine are lethal.”

“Which reminds me, I’d like my gear and my own clothes back,” Jay said.

Grayson nodded. “It’s getting too late in the morning to try this today, unless we want news helicopters following us. Tonight, as soon as the sun goes down? It’ll give us time to rest and plan.”

“Fine by me,” Jay said, leaning back a little.

Alfred, who had followed all of their plotting without commentary, keeping the coffee refilled, nodded then. “I may be able to assist with some changes to the sedative formula.”

Barbara looked at Jay and Talia with a serious expression. “You both might as well stay here. It’s safer for you, Talia, than traveling anywhere in this city.”

Jay looked worried, for the same reason she was. She might trust these people, provisionally, with her own safety and Jay’s. But Khairah’s? No. Her daughter was her responsibility, shared only with Jay. “I’ll need to make a call, then,” Talia said.

“You brought League of Assassins backup into Gotham?” Richard said, dismayed.

“No, but there is someone who must know where we are and when we will return,” Talia responded. It was not enough of an answer to sway him, but since he was trying to be civil, he held his tongue.

Talia rose from the table to make that call, and Jay looked at Dick. “Can I get my phone, too?” she heard him ask as she stepped out of the room for privacy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully this one explains some of the animosity between Dick and Talia. There's another chapter coming soon where they get a chance to speak to one another privately that should also be enlightening.


	30. Chapter 30

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for mentions of child prostitution and human trafficking.

Dick took him downstairs and handed over his clothes and guns. “I guess you’ll need to borrow non-lethal weapons, too,” he said, with a trace of dismay in his voice.

“Yeah, I might go for those escrima sticks if you’ve got spares,” Jay said lightly, trying to keep it casual for now. He went ahead and changed, not caring whether Dick turned away. He’d seen it all before. 

Dick left his side, going over to one of the storage lockers and coming out with escrima sticks. “These aren’t electrified like mine,” he warned, and then asked, “Do you think she’ll want sticks, or a staff?”

“Probably staff,” Jay replied, buttoning his pants. 

Dick found one of those, and waited for him to finish putting on his shirt. The whole time, he looked so worried that Jay finally just stared at him until he spoke. “Look, Jaybird… Dammit, Cass was right. I _ miss _ you. And what you’re doing, it’s exactly what everyone didn’t want for you.”

Jay let out a sigh, putting things back in his pockets where they belonged. “What I’m doing, as in killing bad guys? Or what I’m doing, as in Talia?”

“Both,” Dick said. 

“Well, you’d better get over it,” Jay told him, ready to be _ done _ with this bullshit one way or another. “What do you think, Talia _ seduced _ me or something? She ensorcelled me with her wicked feminine wiles?”

“She _ is _ a manipulator,” Dick said.

Jay laughed derisively. “I was like nineteen, Dick, she didn’t have to _ manipulate _ me. I’d’ve gone to bed with anyone who looked like her, Alpha or not, if they showed the slightest interest. And _ she didn’t_. We kept things very professional, even when I went into heat.”

Dick frowned, and Jay barreled on before he could raise an objection. “You know what heat is like. I came onto her, pretty heavily, and you know how she backed me down? She told me she’d be tempted but only _ after _ I was out of heat. She’s got kind of a complex about the whole situation - thank Daddy Demon. Ra’s put it in her head that Omegas are a weakness Alphas like them can’t afford. Shit, you should’ve guessed as much, Ra’s wanted her to marry _ Bruce _ and breed him up a male Alpha heir.”

To his credit, Dick actually listened, and now his scowl was more for the Demon’s Head than his daughter. “We always knew Ra’s was twisted. I don’t have to like her to be glad that Talia’s free of him - and I can’t really be angry that she killed him. It’s not a choice I could’ve made, but I can’t help being relieved that we don’t have to deal with him anymore.”

Jay gave a little scoffing laugh. “Yeah, sometimes killing works out for the best. On that note, look at it this way. When I see a guy who’s kidnapped a dozen kids with the intention of selling them into the sex trade, I _ could _ hand him over to the authorities. But so what? In some of the places we run, they’re corrupt, too. A big enough bribe, and he’s back on the streets the next day. I could do like Bruce and beat the shit out of him, but that just means he puts a price on my head.”

“So I kill him. Yeah, yeah, life is sacred, but those kids’ lives are worth more to me than the assholes who sell them. Word starts to get around. You exploit children, women, Omegas, you get killed. Maybe the bigger and more organized groups try for revenge, but for fuck’s sake, this is the _ Demon_. If they come at us, we meet them with the fucking League of Assassins, and they all die. But I don’t do it for the kidnappers, the traffickers, the rapists, or the buyers. I don’t do it because I want to kill every last one of them, even though I do.”

He took a step closer to Dick, saw the other man tense up, and held his gaze sternly. “I do it for the kids. For the Omegas. For the women. I do it for the ones who didn’t ask for that bullshit to come into their lives. I do it because I see the fear in their eyes, and I’ve seen it in the mirror, Dickie-Bird. I want to take that away from them, let them live without putting a price on themselves, the way I finally learned to live when Bruce picked me up in Crime Alley.”

The dawning horror in Dick’s eyes burned; Jay would rather have scorn than sympathy. “He said you were stealing tires…”

“Yeah, and how much money does that make, y’think?” Jay spat back. “Not enough to pay the rent and keep the lights on, not when Mom couldn’t work anymore. I know all about the kind of twisted fuckers that’re out there, and what they’ll pay to get their kicks. I like killing those assholes, sure. But even more, I like sending the kids back home to their families and making sure they’re safe.”

“Are they really safe, though?” Dick asked, and Jay could tell he was trying not to be a jerk. Just asking. It was Dick’s nature to try and see all the outcomes, to worry about the future of every person they saved. “Because some of them come from situations like yours. Or families that aren’t… Very few people do that because they want to. Usually they feel like they have to.”

“Yeah, well, that’s where it gets difficult,” Jay admitted. “Sometimes we can fix it by, like, dropping some money on UNICEF to get involved and get support in the area. Or getting the kids into foster care, or finding support groups for the adults. Just recently we found ourselves a straight-up sanctuary city, run for Omegas by Omegas, and if someone has no place else to go we can probably send them there. Mostly, though, we solve those kinds of problems by throwing money at them.”

Dick nodded. “I wondered how you justified the money,” he said. “I guess if it’s for the greater good, then it doesn’t matter how she got it?”

Jay frowned. “What do you mean?”

Dick tilted his head, and began to look worried. “Do you even know where her money comes from?”

“All over the place,” Jay said. “I’m not on the financial side, Talia and her accountants handle that. I know she’s got investments in every major stock market and commodity around the world, she owns land and businesses and all kinds of stuff. Is it the contract fees from the League? Because I don’t care much about that, either. No one goes to the League of Assassins if they want a hitman to kill their cheating husband. It’s big stuff, and usually people the world won’t miss.”

Looking sad - and sympathetic - Dick said, “You don’t know. You really don’t know. I guess she wouldn’t tell you, either.”

“Tell me what?” Jay demanded.

Dick frowned. “We follow what the League is doing, you know that. She’s involved in the drug trade, Jay. Mainly heroin, some marijuana too, coming out of Afghanistan, but she takes bigger cuts than you did, when you first came back to Gotham. You were doing it to control the dealers, keep them away from kids - I get that. She’s in it for the money.”

And with those so-plausible words, the world fell out from beneath Jay’s feet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things just got dramatic again. Oops.


	31. Chapter 31

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I kicked the hornet's nest with last chapter. Rather than draw this out until you all come hunting me with pitchforks, I decided to post three times this week. That'll get us closer to finishing the most unpleasant part of the fic.
> 
> Thank you to all the lovely commenters who've pointed out the places where I need to hone my narrative. I appreciate every one of you.

“Order room service, and have them leave it outside the door,” Talia told Khairah. “Under _ no _ circumstances open the door for anyone. You’ll be fine without fresh towels for a day.”

“Is it that dangerous?” the girl asked.

Talia bit back her initial reply, demanding obedience because she had given an order. A daughter was not a soldier or a servant, however, and so she explained, “Hopefully not. None of the kidnapped Alphas were taken from outside Gotham. But we do not know when our perpetrators may decide to widen their net. I will not risk you, Khairah.”

Her emphasis was clear, and the girl sighed. “I can take care of myself, you know. You’ve been teaching me to fight for a reason.”

“And it was not so that you could expose yourself to foolish risks,” Talia said sharply. “When I was your age…”

Khairah gave a plainly audible sigh. “‘When you were my age’? Ommi says the same thing, you know.” 

“When she was _ your _ age, your mother _ was _ kidnapped,” Talia shot back, and heard the horrified gasp as Khairah realized exactly what she meant. It hurt, to hear that - Jay was right, the girl had known too well the circumstances of her conception, and for that reason if no other Talia had chosen to lend her support to al-Hirz. Khairah needed to see that, no matter how awful that night had been, both of her parents could respect each other for the people they’d become, despite or because of that tragedy.

She continued, “When _ I _ was your age, I was as convinced of my own capabilities. There is no arrogance like youthful arrogance. In my case, I had a father who set an assassin on me, so that I would understand what it meant to be truly under attack - and be more careful in the future. If you would be wiser than I was, learn from my example instead of waiting for experience to teach you the same lesson.”

“Yes, Sire,” Khairah said meekly.

Talia sighed. “Keep yourself safe, my daughter. For my sake, if not your own.”

Another careful agreement, and Talia ended the call, rubbing her temple to ease the ache in her head that quarreling with Khairah always brought her. She truly did not know how to deal with an obstreperous adolescent, despite admittedly having been one. 

The airflow in the hallway changed, and she turned warily. Talia had moved well away from the kitchen, and spoken in Arabic the better to keep her conversation private, but her first thought was to be outraged at whoever was trying to eavesdrop.

Selina had come out of the kitchen, and seeing Talia looking her way, she approached. Clearly she hadn’t overheard anything; just as clearly she wanted to speak to Talia. But then, once they stood facing each other, she didn’t seem to know what to say. 

Talia met her gaze steadily, and finally said, “It’s rather ironic, isn’t it? Bruce and I were so very much in love as to defy all convention … and now we both have Omega lovers. As if we’d become traditional at last.”

The Cat chuckled. “Yeah. I was pretty damn pissed off, when I finally worked up the guts to tell him, and the sonofabitch told me he’d known all along. Apparently once he found out my real name, he ran a full background check. Which turned up the original medical records.”

“They do call him the world’s greatest detective,” Talia pointed out gently. 

Another pause, Selina glancing away and then back at her before speaking again. “He still talks about you, you know.”

That was opening up a dangerous line of conversation, but if they were to trust each other, Talia had to be honest. “I was dismayed, yet unsurprised, to realize I still remembered this number after not calling him for almost a decade. We were … very important to one another.”

“You were very much in love with one another,” Selina corrected. She still stood with her arms crossed, her body language guarded; she was reluctant to speak of this, yet found it necessary.

Talia gave an expressive shrug. “I love him still. It is not what it once was, nor can it ever be again. In my youth, I would have cast aside my legacy for him. I cannot do that, now that I have taken up the mantle of the Demon; too much chaos would follow if I abandoned my post. And then, there is Jason. I would not trade all the treasure in the world for him. I did not expect to love him so, and yet here we are. He knows me, he understands me, as Bruce never truly did. Jason and I … we have both seen too much, in too similar ways.”

Selina tilted her head like a curious cat. “You both do seem pretty attached. I _ never _ wanted to belong to an Alpha, not like that, but it’s not looking as horrible as I always thought.”

She scoffed. “Do not be misled. He is _ thoroughly _ annoyed that I followed him here - I am annoyed with myself, if I’m completely honest. I _ knew _ he would not be harmed here, and that he can take care of himself regardless, but I could not rest easy until I heard from him again. It is no blessing, to be so bound up in someone else.”

“I’ll take your word for it,” Selina said.

There was one more thing that needed to be addressed between them, and Talia closed the distance, careful to keep her body language non-threatening. Selina still tensed a little, wary of her, but she couldn’t let that bother her. “Something you should know,” Talia murmured, and let the Alpha note of implacability creep into her voice. “If we are wrong, and Bruce _ is _ gone into this feral state farther than we think, I will not let him harm you. I’d kill him, if I had to, before I would let that happen. Partly because I would not let _ anyone_, man or woman, Beta or Omega, supposed rival or utter stranger, be savaged by an Alpha while I had the power to prevent it.”

She raised her chin a little, remembering Hadiyah, who had somehow found peace and strength in the wake of horrors that still gave Talia nightmares. “Mostly because, if it were me in his place, I would rather die than do something so deeply against my nature. I doubt he would survive the guilt, anyway.”

Selina nodded, looking fraught. “Thank you,” she said quietly.

Talia accepted that graciously. “You are very welcome - to my protection, and to the man and title and house that might have once been mine, too. If you make each other happy, Selina, then you have my blessing.”

That got her a wry grin. “Yeah, and I’ll remember that when he goes into one of his self-blaming spirals over the fact that you ran off with Jay. If Dick can get over it, so can he.”

Talia started to reply, but she heard a door slam and hurried footsteps. She turned to the threat, trying to compose herself. Talking of Bruce and thinking of Hadiyah left her thoroughly unbalanced.

And it was in that state that Jay stormed up to her, eyes blazing. “When the hell were you gonna tell me we’re living on fuckin’ drug money?!”


	32. Chapter 32

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been told that writing arguing couples is one of my strengths, but that is an uncomfortable specialty to have. Bear with me, dear readers - I promise there is a happy ending.

Jay had never worried about the money. There was a _ lot _ of it, more than he could ever spend in a lifetime, so he took what he needed and gave his attention to what he’d _ thought _ were more important things. Now, dammit, _ now _ he realized he should’ve investigated Talia the same way he did all of his trainers. He’d never done it because he’d trusted her, implicitly, even before he went to bed with her he’d trusted her as the one person who believed in him enough to risk her life and bring him back.

And she _ knew _ how he felt about drugs, she knew what he’d seen in the Bowery, she knew how his mother had died. To find out that the money he’d so blithely spent on guns or clothes or dining out, or gifts for her, that some significant percentage of it came from the fucking _ heroin _ trade … that enraged him.

He bellowed the question at Talia with Dick trailing worriedly in his wake, and never noticed that Selina was there … or that the rest were arriving, drawn by raised voices. Jay didn’t think about presenting a united front, or discussing this privately, or even that the accusation might be inaccurate. He was simply too furious for anything but direct, immediate confrontation.

And Talia reacted to that as she always had. He watched her body language go defensive and her expression shut down. She cut one scathing glance at Dick, and Jay stepped closer, blocking her view. “Don’t fuckin’ look at him, it’s not his goddamn fault. You couldn’t lie to me forever.”

“I _ never _ lied to you,” she shot back, bristling. 

He cut her off. “Lies of omission are still lies. You knew damn well I’d never agree to us being in the heroin trade. For fuck’s sake, Talia, I don’t even like pot, but _ heroin_?”

“This is not the place or time for this,” Talia said sharply.

“It is now,” Jay said, moving even closer, unconsciously using his height and weight as he had when intimidating enemies. “I want answers, goddamn it.”

Talia reacted by drawing herself up, her eyes blazing. “There’s more at stake than your temper, Jason! You have _ no _ idea what the situation is like in Afghanistan…” 

“And you have no idea what it’s like on the streets right here at home!” he shouted back. “Fucking hell, you know how many kids I grew up with OD’d before they were twenty-five? Too fucking many. And now I find out I’ve been profiting off of their deaths this whole time? My own fucking _ mom _ was a junkie! How _ dare _ you even start to justify it to me!”

“_Enough! _” Talia snapped, slicing her hand through the air. The command rocked him back on his heels with its force … for a moment. “No more, Jason. We will discuss it, and how best to proceed, at a later time. For now, you are not rational on the topic, nor are you in possession of all the facts.”

“Fuck that, and fuck you for trying to order me to drop it,” he shot back, his temper red-lining. “People like me are _ dying _ from this shit, and you don’t even care?!”

“People like _ you_?” she retorted. “The Golden Crescent drug trade _ exists _ solely because people very like _ me _ are trying to survive as best they can after more than a century of warfare and political interference from people like _ you_. So _ stand down_.”

That additional command bounced right off him, and Jay didn’t notice Alfred catching Selina’s arm as she bristled, or the way Cass had moved up in front of the rest. All he saw was Talia, and what she said seemed completely out of left field. “You’re gonna make this a race thing now?” he asked in disbelief.

It was, perhaps, the stupidest thing a white guy could ever say, and Jay realized it even as the words left his mouth. He didn’t get a chance to retract them, though, because Talia slapped him across the face almost instantly.

Steph gasped, Dick growled, and Alfred exclaimed, “My _ word_!” in obvious disapproval. 

Jay found himself more shocked than angry. Usually he met violence with violence, gladly, but this wasn’t an _ attack_. She’d hurt him worse in sparring - and he’d done the same to her - but never in ten years had Talia raised her hand to him in anger. Slapping him was so far out of character for her, it was as unthinkable as Alfred being rude. Jay could only stare at her, stunned, his cheek stinging, and finally he saw the pain and fear under the fury in her eyes.

In that frozen moment of disbelief, Cass stepped between them, facing Talia and falling into a fighting stance. Talia’s eyes widened in surprise, and she _ growled_. Jay had met Alphas who growled like angry dogs, but to his ear Talia sounded more like a tiger getting ready to pounce.

And Cass was trying to defend _ him_, when even after the slap it hadn’t yet occurred to Jay that the confrontation could seriously turn physical. _ That _ was as impossible as the sun setting in the east.

Cass moved forward, and Talia fell back, her hands dropping toward the small of her back where her pistol normally rode … but she stopped herself, even as Jay said hastily, “Hey, no, this’s between me and her.”

Cass either didn’t hear him, or didn’t care, but Talia did. She looked past the younger woman as if Cass didn’t exist, and met his gaze with her eyes full of wrath. “_This _ is over,” Talia spat, and turning on her heel, she strode away, boots striking the ground sharply.

Jay let out a breath, not even aware that he’d been holding it. And before he could even begin to figure out if he’d been the asshole just then, or if he needed to demand an apology, or what the fuck he should do or feel, Dick said, “So much for not needing to worry about her.”

Jay rounded on him, fists clenched. It’d be too damn easy to blame this on Dick, and punching his worried goody-two-shoes face in would be oh so satisfying … but they hadn’t come here to fight, they’d come to _ help_. So he struck out with words instead. “You know what? I’m _ not _ worried about her! I didn’t need Cass to swoop in and protect me, either!”

“She _ hit _ you,” Dick said accusingly, and Jay scoffed.

“Go fuck yourself, that was a slap, and I think it was mostly ‘cause she was insulted,” Jay snapped bitterly. “I’m not afraid of her, if all of you assholes weren’t standin’ around like spectators at a tennis match, we coulda just yelled it out somewhere. Hell, Dick, as much as you hate her, you better be glad I _ know _ you’re not underhanded enough to tell me that just so I’d pick a fight!”

Dick looked utterly flabbergasted. “You … I … _ what_? Jay, come on! I thought you knew, you two were acting like… You kept telling everyone it was all good, I thought you _ knew_!”

He probably had, but just hearing it made Jay angrier. He _ should’ve _ known, Talia should’ve told him, and he shouldn’t have proceeded on blind faith. Even if his faith in her was otherwise justified, he’d never even _ asked _ about the money. “Well, I didn’t, so thanks for all this, Dickie-Bird. Great timing on your part.”

Dick’s brows furrowed. “Jay, all right, I’m sorry. But it’s not like she denied it!”

Which was also true, and still lay in Jay’s gut in sour lumpen misery. “Fuck, this goddamn town is _ toxic_! Ten years without a serious argument, and within a day of being here we’re yelling at each other,” he muttered, shaking his head. There was no way Jay could justify the drug money, but he hadn’t asked her to justify it - he’d just accused her, and the Demon would not lose face in front of enemies.

Cass had turned to him, searching his eyes with a bemused expression in her own. To her, he said, “Do me a favor, don’t get between her and me again. I don’t need to be protected.”

Her dark eyes caught his and held them with their intensity. “Mediate between Alphas and Omegas, is a Beta’s purpose,” she said softly. 

Jay let his chin jut out. “_Don’t _ get between her and me. I can handle her. I don’t need mediation, all right?” She nodded at that, gracious and perhaps a little self-effacing. 

“Perhaps we should all settle down for a moment,” Alfred offered. “There must be some rational means of rapprochement.”

Jay sighed, and was about to agree, when Steph suddenly turned her head. “Hey, guys? Is that the car?”

Foreboding swept over Jay as he caught the sound of the rental’s engine, too. Rushing to the window, he saw the car jump out from the circular drive, leaving streaks of rubber from where Talia had accelerated too hard. She was leaving, going out into the city where someone was snatching up Alphas - and she was unsuppressed, a perfect target.

“_ Fuck,_” Jay snarled, and bolted toward the door. The driveway wound back and forth, the better to let the occupants of the house get a good look at whoever was driving up. If he hurried, he _ might _ be able to cut her off before she made it to the gate.

“Where are you going?!” Dick yelled after him.

“To stop her from getting herself killed, or worse!” Jay yelled back.

Fucking Gotham. He should’ve known this place would find a way to shake him off balance.


	33. Chapter 33

When Jay flung the accusation in her face, Talia’s blood boiled with anger, anxiety, and disgust. Did he think she _ liked _ being involved in the drug trade? It was a miserable situation all around, but until the demand from _ his _ country dried up, and until the political landscape in Afghanistan stabilized enough, _ someone _ had to regulate the trade just to keep the body count down. She could not in good conscience leave it to the radical organizations which had been growing more powerful in Central Asia. The profits from the trade were too tempting, and those groups were too chaotic to be trusted. They had been founded in religious extremism, many of their upper echelon located closer to Talia’s home than to the region in which they operated, and instead of trying to protect their people from Western colonialism, they seemed to delight in war-mongering, using the locals as cannon fodder. There would be more misery, more suffering, if she hadn’t gotten involved.

Talia was aware of the irony of interfering, herself, being of the Levant and too Westernized for some tastes. She was yet another outsider to the Pashtuns, her involvement only a little less unwelcome than the British, Soviets, and Americans before her. At least the League of Assassins lent some stability to the rural areas, and made sure the farmers who tended the poppy fields were making enough money to survive. Of course it was an ugly, dishonorable trade, and she would happily see it dissolved and legitimate industries replace it.

Jay didn’t understand any of that. He saw only the other end of the drug trade, people’s lives shattered by addiction, his own mother dying from an overdose. And yes, Talia had never _ told _ him about the Golden Crescent trade for precisely those reasons. He hadn’t shown interest in the financial specifics, or in getting involved in stopping the production end of the trade he so despised. She should have told him, to have kept it from him made such a scene as they’d just had inevitable, but Talia felt enough remorse and disgust at getting her hands dirty as it was. She hadn’t wanted to let the man she loved heap further excoriation upon her. It was cowardice, though, not to have told him. She knew it, and her heart burned with shame and self-recrimination - none of which was lessened by their gathering audience. 

When Jay accused her of _ making it a race thing_, as he so bluntly put it, Talia slapped him across the face unthinkingly. How _ dare _ he! They sometimes played, very carefully, with the contrasts between them, and how the world perceived them both because of it. Only the gentlest teasing, couched in obvious affection, and he _ knew _ better than to say such a thing to her, especially standing in _ his _ city that he still named ‘home’ despite not setting foot here in years, on American soil where she would always be an outsider and regarded with suspicion for her accent and the color of her skin. Talia could not help but take offense.

She shouldn’t have struck him, and in the very next instant she was horrified that she’d done so. The shock in his expression nauseated her; she’d wronged him deeply, treated him like a child … or like chattel. Talia despised Alphas who cuffed around their Omegas for the least hint of defiance, dismissing them as callous brutes … and now she was one of them. The shame of it choked her, the anger at being confronted still burned in her chest, and the fear of losing Jay rose again in her mind.

All of that, and Cassandra Cain stepped in front of her. Talia’s first blind instinct was _ kill anyone who stands between me and _ ** _my_ ** _ Omega_. She throttled the thought, taking a step back, horrified all over again by her own violent impulses. Everything she’d said to Selina today, everything she’d been teaching Khairah about what it meant to be Alpha … who had she really been trying to convince? Was she really any better than a dog growling and hackling over a bone?

Jay’s stunned look was branded in her vision. She barely heard him speak; her only imperative was to end this confrontation before she did something else even more reckless and stupid. Talia barked an answer at him - _ like a dog, I even sound like what I am, a jealous possessive bitch _ \- and spun on her heel to stalk away, her heart hammering. She needed distance before she made herself regret coming here even more. If only she hadn’t come to Metropolis, she would never have seen that news story, never known her once-Beloved was in danger, never brought herself and Jay back amongst these people… 

But no, there still would have been a fight at some point, and as Talia slammed the car door she had to blink back tears. She was just a coward, she’d hidden the drug trade from Jay knowing he would lose his temper, knowing he might leave her, and she couldn’t bear that thought even long enough to try to justify her involvement.

Not just a growling dog, but a despicable slinking cowardly beast, showing her teeth to hide her fear. Talia threw the car into gear and peeled out of the driveway, needing space to clear her head and regain some semblance of composure. She wasn’t thinking in the slightest of the dangers in the city. If whoever was kidnapping Alphas in Gotham crossed her path today, killing them would at least let her feel like she’d done _ something _ useful.

She took the long driveway recklessly, and she’d made it to the last turn when Jay suddenly ran out into the road. Talia stood on the brakes, the car fishtailing, tires screeching, and she had time for a dark thought to flash across her mind: _ That would cap off the misery, if I ran him down. _

The car stopped, barely in time, and Jay slapped his hands on the hood, glaring in at her. Out of the storm of emotions roiling through her, anger leapt to the surface - anger that had always been her shield against pain and grief. Anger that was, for an Alpha, the first and easiest response. Talia flung the door open and got out, bristling. “What the _ hell _ are you doing?”

“Did you forget the part where some asshole in this city is kidnapping Alphas? And killing about half of them?” Jay shouted back, taking a step toward her. Not enough that she could get the car around him, though.

Talia bared her teeth in a vicious smile. “Let them try. I’m very good at killing fools like them.” Unspoken, she continued, _ Some days it seems the _ ** _only_ ** _ thing I’m good at. _

“That’s bullshit, T,” Jay insisted, frowning, his chest heaving. He had to have run flat-out to beat her here, even though his route was much shorter. “I’m not letting you run off half-cocked, straight into a trap!”

The fact that he sounded concerned for her only made her more furious, in her current state, feeling as though she didn’t deserve it. “I’d like to see you stop me!” Talia spat back, and started to duck back into the car. To hell with all of this. She could reverse, and dodge around him. 

Jay drew his gun then, and an icy fist closed around her heart. Her first thought was that she’d finally pushed his trust too far, and the bullet would be a mercy.

But Jay didn’t turn the gun on her. Instead, he fired two shots into the front tire, and two more into the back. The car immediately sagged to one side, the tires hissing wildly as the air escaped. And Jay stood there, panting, looking fiercely determined.

Talia could only stare at him, stunned, and his jaw thrust out stubbornly as he said, “You look pretty well stopped to me.” 

It was so plainly ridiculous - there were a dozen more cars in the garage - and so very _ Jay _ a solution, that she surprised them both by bursting into jagged laughter.

Jay shook his head, his expression making it plain that he knew how melodramatic the gesture had been. But his mouth curved up in a wry smile, even as he didn’t back down. “Talia, look - no matter _ how _ pissed off I am, no way in hell am I gonna let you risk your life alone out there. You’re not leaving. Don’t make me hang off your ankle, it’s embarrassing.”

She looked up at him and sighed. “Jason, you shouldn’t even care if I go. Not after I hit you like that…”

He stepped closer, his eyes stern. “_ No_. First of all, I’m the one who gets to decide just how bad that was. And honestly? Fuck it, I kinda earned that. It was the dumbest possible thing to say. In ten years you’ve never raised a hand to me, and I _ saw _ how it made you sick to realize you’d done it. Not to mention, it made me stop yelling and _ think_, so I can’t be too pissed at something that worked.”

“There are no excuses,” Talia said softly, shaking her head. “I had no right to strike you. Not then, not ever.”

“It doesn’t make you one of those abusive assholes who takes everything out on their Omega,” Jay insisted. “If you were trying to justify it, that’d be different. You’re just human, Talia, we all fuck up once in a while. And I forgive you for that.”

She swallowed, blinking back tears at how easily he offered her absolution. “I cannot forgive myself,” she whispered.

“Well, work on it, ‘cause I’m not gonna let you go get yourself killed,” Jay retorted. When her gaze flew up to him in shock - that hadn’t been her intention, at least not consciously - his mouth twisted into a knowing smile. “Talia, you think I don’t know you’ve got a streak of self-destruction in you? Takes one to know one, babe, and I’ve been there. _ No_. We’ll work this out. I’m still fucking _ furious _ with you, by the way, for keeping that from me. But I’m not going anywhere, and I’m not letting _ you _ go anywhere, either. So get over it. You were right about one thing, though, this isn’t the time or the place. That just means we’ll handle that once we get Bruce back.”

Still sitting in the car, Talia stared up at him. As always, he was better than he believed himself, the unlooked-for blessing who had changed the course of her life and set her on the road to true happiness. Once again, he surprised her with his compassion; Talia was all too accustomed to paying dearly for her mistakes. Only Jay would offer forgiveness like this. Finally, she managed to say in a small voice, “I don’t deserve you.”

He laughed, and held out his arm, wrist turned up to bare the tattoo of her name. “Too bad, T, ‘cause you’re stuck with me now. That means we’re gonna fight our way through this, not run away from it.”

She had no words to express how badly she needed that reassurance, and how unworthy she was of it. Instead, Talia took his hand and kissed his palm reverently.

…

Watching the entire confrontation play out from the window, Babs shook her head with a sigh. Beside her, Tim echoed it, and added, “Makes me glad to be Beta. Alphas and Omegas just have too much _ drama_.”

“Amen to that,” Babs agreed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This scene was actually one of the earliest in the story that was clear in my mind. Talia laying her sword at Hadiyah's feet was the first one, and this came shortly thereafter.
> 
> Every couple has arguments. In a story where the stakes are higher, we dramatize those arguments - but the real lesson is that as long as both partners are committed to working through the issues, as long as both are willing to listen, understand, and make changes, they can come out of the argument stronger. 
> 
> If any of you are in a relationship where you feel like you're always the one giving and the other person is taking - if you feel like honest communication can't happen - if you feel like your needs and concerns are not important - if you are insulted or belittled - please know that you deserve better. 
> 
> And if you are in a relationship where physical violence occurs, even 'just' a slap, please think seriously about the possibility that it may escalate. Jay and Talia are fictional and live a highly dramatized life. Even so, striking your partner is a serious offense, and it needed to be addressed both in and out of the text.
> 
> Enough of the soapbox - thank you for reading!


	34. Chapter 34

The car would need repairs, preferably _ without _ involving the rental company - they tended to get a little upset by bullet damage. Jay figured they’d call around and get two new tires. Hopefully the rims weren’t damaged, but those could be replaced too, and the rental company never had to know.

That left Jay and Talia walking back up to the Manor, and he could see the tension in her shoulders. “They’re definitely talking shit,” he said lightly. “Dick better watch his mouth, though. He can chase Bruce just as well with a fat lip and a black eye.”

“He wasn’t wrong,” Talia said, rueful. 

Jay sighed and rolled his shoulders. “He was wrong to say it then, and that way. I mentioned money to him first, I doubt he planned to bring it up. He’s just totally confused; I think he can’t get over the fact that I _ chose _ you. I don’t care, Talia. I came here with you and I’m leaving with you.”

She looked over at him, worry in her gaze, and said quietly, “If you knew how much I needed to hear that, love…”

He reached out and took her hand. “Just ‘cause I’m mad as hell doesn’t mean I’m leaving. We’re gonna hafta talk about this, though.”

Talia sighed, and squeezed his fingers. “If you want to completely divest from the drug trade, it’s _ possible_. But you have only seen this side of it. I want you to see the other - and what’s going on in Afghanistan right now is the direct result of a century of Western interference. Americans, British, Soviets, they have all destabilized the country, both by waging war on it and by funding and arming the factions within it.”

He nodded; everywhere they went Jay learned more world history, and he’d long ago realized that most of what he’d been taught in school had a distinct bias. “It’s ugly on both ends. You know it’d be better for those people to get them out of it.”

Talia shot him a dark glance. “Would you like to try running a nation? Because that might be what it would take - and I am certain the Afghani people would welcome an Arab woman and a white American man as their leaders.”

Jay ground his teeth in frustration. “Yeah, that would never fly. You’re right, we should talk about this later. We’ve got a job to do here first.”

She nodded, looking ahead to the house, where Alfred awaited them both on the front step. Cass stepped out behind him, and Jay heard Talia give a little growl under her breath. “If she tries to step between us…” 

“I talked to her,” Jay said. “And I’ll talk to her again, if I have to. Let me handle it, okay? Talia, if _ that _ doesn’t make me walk out on you, I promise you nothing anyone in that house says or does will.”

She’d been holding his hand as they walked, both of them needing reassurance, that simple touch reaffirming the bond between them. When Jay said that, Talia stopped, tugging him around to face her. She looked up at him with everything she was and everything she felt, showing naked to his gaze. “Jason, I … Thank you. I don’t deserve your love or your loyalty, but I have no idea what I would have done without you.”

Jay had locked down the anger, compartmentalizing it like he’d learned to do while training as an assassin. Part of him still wanted to shout at her, starting with _ How could you _ and all the other furious recriminations that had boiled up in his brain since Dick had first mentioned it. But he wasn’t used to seeing Talia quite this uncertain, and her misery affected him. “Don’t do this shit again,” he said warningly, though he touched her cheek. “I love you, T. When we sit down to discuss this one, if there’s anything else you’re hiding that you think I won’t want to know, _ tell me_. That’s your one chance to tell me and not make me any madder. If I find out you’re still hiding things from me … I’ve got no secrets from you. I never have. Trust has to go both ways.”

She nodded, and caught his hand, pressing his wrist to her cheek. It was a gesture more typical of an Omega seeking their Alpha’s reassurance, and Jay swallowed to see his favorite Alpha being so humble. “This was the only thing. Let us go and face the music,” she murmured, and he could _ see _ her expression and the set of her shoulders change as she put her mental armor back up. 

No one else got to see Talia al Ghul vulnerable. Just him.

They returned to the door as a united front. Alfred met them with a level gaze. “I’ve taken the liberty of calling round to a mechanic of our acquaintance. Your tires - and wheels if necessary - will be replaced today.”

“Thank you, Alfred,” Talia said, inclining her head graciously. “I apologize for disturbing the peace of your household.”

He gave her a small smile. “Would that everyone would be so considerate as to offer apology. If all is well between you, then I am pleased to see the situation resolved.”

Meanwhile Cass looked at both of them, nodded, and turned to go inside. Jay grinned, and said to her back, “Told you I was safe.”

She looked at him over her shoulder with a slight smile. “Better to know,” she said, and there was no condemnation in it.

Dick, of course, was waiting inside for them with a worried expression. He came forward immediately, his gaze going to Talia first. “Talia, I’m sorry. I really didn’t know - but Jay’s right, this wasn’t the time to bring it up. No matter what, I never meant to run you off. I might not like you, but I don’t want you to get caught by whoever’s doing this, either.”

Jay saw the flash of fire in her eyes, but she caught herself, replying, “I appreciate the apology and the sentiment, Richard. I’ve been informed that my Omega will not let me hazard my life so carelessly, either, no matter how foolish I’ve been. I cannot thank you for interfering between us - were you one of my men, I’d have you flogged for it - but … it should have been dealt with long ago. And will be, now.”

Dick nodded, biting his lip. “I wouldn’t worry about things between you two if I didn’t love Jay. Again, I’m sorry. All of us are off balance. I shouldn’t let it get to me this much.”

She looked at him shrewdly. “You are in charge, in Bruce’s absence. Of course you concern yourself with everyone’s well-being. And we all know how Bruce feels about Jay and I.”

“He blames himself,” Dick sighed. “Then again, he blames himself for everything, all the time. That’s one of the things I was trying _ not _ to pick up from him, but … it’s an easy habit to fall into.”

“This really didn’t have anything to do with him,” Jay cut in. “And I look forward to telling him so once we get him back.” 

Talia let out the breath she’d been holding. “So, should we assume the offer of shelter still stands?”

Nodding, Dick told them both, “Of course. I’ll get Alfred to make up a couple of rooms for you two. We should all get some rest; there’s nothing more to do until tonight. Babs and I have inquiries in with our police contacts, and she’s working her digital magic, too. We should know something about the coach, soon.”

Jay just smiled. “Capable and competent as always, Dickie-Bird. But you know we’re only gonna use one room. Might as well save Alfred the wasted effort.”

Dick scowled then. “Jaybird … not under this roof, please.”

Talia laughed at him, a brittle edge to it. “I assure you, I have rarely been _ less _ romantically inclined. However, we both rest easier within arm’s reach of one another.”

Dick looked embarrassed. “I can’t stop you, anyway. Fine. Something in the East Wing?”

“Works for me,” Jay told him.

…

They were soon settled, Jay stopping to take his suppressants. Talia kicked off her shoes, distributed her weapons within easy reach, and paused, looking around the room.

Jay already knew she’d take the side of the bed closest to the door. It was an Alpha thing, he supposed. He saw her speculative glance, and grinned. “They’ve got cameras in here, I’ll bet. Bruce always had surveillance in the guest rooms. What does it say about me that Dick telling us not to, kinda puts me in the mood?”

Talia favored him with a smile. “That you are as contrary and defiant as ever? Or simply that both of us want reassurance after arguing?” She went to him, and Jay hugged her, letting the anger choke on itself somewhere in the back of his brain. The way Talia melted into his embrace with relief made it plain that she hadn’t hidden it from him maliciously, that she’d simply been afraid of losing him. Jay still wasn’t used to mattering that much to anyone. Even if they felt it, most of them hadn’t shown it in ways he understood. Someone like _ her _ being afraid of losing him was just a mind-fuck.

And despite everything else, Talia just felt _ right _ in his arms. He’d deal with a _ lot _more bullshit than he had to, for that. Jay nuzzled her hair, breathing in her scent, and sighed. “C’mon, let’s get a nap.”

Talia nodded, but instead of stepping back, she leaned up and kissed him. More gentle than passionate, a wordless declaration of love. Neither of them bothered to look for cameras, stripping down to underclothes matter-of-factly. If anyone watching wanted to count the scars, let them.

Jay slid under the covers first, turning his back toward her side. Talia did the same - it was their standard arrangement in an unfamiliar room, just like her taking the side closest to the door. He set his phone alarm and let himself drift, content that there were no overt threats here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I changed the chapter count because I'm writing on chapter 48, and it's going to take longer to resolve this than originally intended. 70 is just an approximation; when I get the final chapter finished, you'll see it change to something specific.
> 
> The total word count written so far on this beast is just over 75k, and I wont be surprised if it hits 100k. I'd very much like to be done writing it before Christmas. If I manage that, I'll switch to posting three times a week so you can see the finale faster.
> 
> This has been an amazing journey, and it's mind-boggling to think it all stemmed from two reader questions on Torch. One person asked what happened to the girl from Talia's past, the other asked what the Gotham contingent thought of everything. Answering them spawned this tale.
> 
> Thank you to everyone who has commented, left kudos, bookmarked, and subscribed. You are all wonderful. <3


	35. Chapter 35

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Thanksgiving to those who celebrate it! I'm at work today - if you're out shopping this weekend, please be kind to retail workers. They all dread the Black Friday madness.
> 
> This week's chapter ran a bit long, but it's got some useful insights.

Steph hopped up on the table next to Babs’ monitor, swinging her feet and waiting to be acknowledged. Babs finished keying in the search parameters for the program she was using to scrape data from public records, searching for more information on the dead coach. Once that was done, she turned to Steph and arched an auburn brow.

“Why does Dick hate Talia so much?” the blonde asked.

Babs answered her with another question. “Why aren’t you asking Dick?”

“Okay, Socrates,” Steph chuckled, blue eyes bright. “Because he’s usually not … well, this much of a _ dick_. Not even to bad guys. It sounds like the kind of thing where he’d maybe give me _ an _ answer, but not _ the _answer.”

Very astute of her, and Babs nodded. “It’s mostly personal between them. Tell me, what do you think of Talia? You’ve been watching her pretty closely since she showed up.”

Steph held up one finger in a ‘pause’ gesture. “Hold on a minute. Before you get weird with it, I’m not ogling, even if she _ is _ about the most delicious-smelling Alpha I’ve ever met. She’s still like my mom’s age. I’m a month away from my next heat, anyway. My mind’s as clear as it gets.”

Babs just smiled, deciding not to chide her for putting herself down - this time. She and Dick were both working on Steph’s self-image. “You brought that up, not me. I would’ve assumed you were keeping a protective eye on a potential threat. And Stephanie, _ I’m _ your mother’s age.”

“Nah, you’re Oracle, you’re timeless,” Steph deflected easily.

Babs nodded at the compliment. “But since you mention it, why _ are _ you paying so much attention to her?”

Steph smirked. “If Dick hadn’t told me, _ I _ would’ve assumed Jay was Alpha. He pulls it off _ really _ well. More than just scent, he carries himself like an Alpha. I figure my life would be easier if I could manage the same trick, so I’m trying to figure out what it is about her that makes her so very Alpha. Besides the scent, and I’ve gotta figure out where Jay gets his cologne.”

That intelligent analysis made Babs smile. “I would ask Jay, if I were you. That would also let him know you aren’t eyeing his Alpha for any other reason, just in case he’s noticed.”

Steph winced a little at that. “Yeah, you’re right. I don’t need a Mean Girls reenactment. People think Alphas are possessive, they haven’t seen two high school Omegas chasing the same hot jock.”

“I doubt it would get that far. You’re quite a bit younger than them, and besides, Jay and Talia seem fairly secure in their relationship,” Babs said, her tone neutral. Everything she’d seen indicated that the two of them were happy together. Even that nasty argument had been quickly resolved, and both of them had seemed startled and dismayed by themselves. Clearly that wasn’t the norm for them.

Nodding, Steph asked, “So what is it with her and Dick?”

Sighing, Babs pushed her glasses up and rubbed the bridge of her nose. She wasn’t going to be able to deflect this. “Ancient history. Answer my question first. Let’s say, how would you describe Talia in three words?”

Steph looked up, thoughtful, and stopped swinging her feet. “If I only had three words… Okay, if this gets back to her, I’ll put your keyboard in a pan of jello. I mean it, Babs.”

“Understood,” she assured.

Steph frowned a little, and said, “Dangerous, powerful, and sexy.” 

“That’s a decent assessment,” Babs said mildly. “Those are also qualities I believe she consciously tries to project.”

“We’re all dangerous, though,” Steph replied. “Even _ I’m _ trained to a level that would scare the crap outta the Kmart shoppers. Dick’s a badass too, and I know he’s not afraid of power. He can’t be freaking out about the sexy part, either. I mean, look at his uniform. He’s drop-dead gorgeous and he knows it.”

“He is too handsome for his own good,” Babs agreed, smiling. “None of those are why he can’t stand Talia, though. If I’d given you a fourth word, would you have picked arrogant? Or maybe dominant?”

That got her a chuckle. “I can see that, yeah. But Bruce is really dominant, and _ you’re _ pretty arrogant yourself, and Dick loves you both to pieces.”

Babs couldn’t help responding playfully to that, which even she knew was accurate. “I’m not arrogant. I’m confident. Arrogance is _ thinking _ you’re that good; confidence is knowing you are.”

Steph stuck her tongue out briefly. “So it’s the high-handed ‘I’m the Alpha, do as I say’ bit that drives him nuts? She was being gracious, though.”

“But he can see her doing it. Alfred is gracious, and you never realize in the moment that he’s letting you have your way - unless he wants you to know. Talia is used to _ command_; she has a literal army of followers. She’s not trying to take over from Dick, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t know she might want to try. He’s not completely comfortable taking over from Bruce, even if he’s good at it.”

“See, this second and third guessing stuff is why I wanna just be a sidekick,” Steph said. “Trying to figure out what everyone else might want to do underneath what they’re actually doing is just a headache.”

“You get a feel for it, after a while,” Babs told her with a shrug. “Anyway, that’s not all of it. You don’t know how Dick and Talia met.”

“She said something about kidnapping?” Steph asked.

This was old news, but since it had become relevant again, Babs felt justified in telling Steph about it. “Her father was Ra’s al Ghul. He trained Bruce. And he decided that Bruce might be a suitable match for Talia. Ra’s wanted a male Alpha heir, and he has never kept an Omega in his organization. No other Alphas, either, Bruce impressed him so much that he was the first.”

Steph kicked her feet back and forth. “So her dad wanted to set up an A/A marriage to get his perfect heir. Don’t Alpha women usually have fertility problems?”

“They do, but it’s still possible,” Babs told her. “He wanted to test Bruce to make sure he was good enough to carry on the al Ghul lineage, and also have an excuse to work with Bruce again and get in his good graces. They parted ways when Ra’s revealed he was training him as an assassin, and Bruce refused to kill. Being Ra’s, the way he decided to test Bruce was to hire someone to kidnap Dick. And Talia.”

Steph’s nose scrunched up in disgust. “Eww, who gets their own daughter kidnapped? Also that’s weird, and a really bad way of getting Bruce’s attention.”

“Bruce was distraught,” Babs said, understating the case. “Talia likely wasn’t in on this plan, either. It was traumatic enough for Dick, and when he found out later that it was all some kind of exercise, he could never forgive Ra’s. Talia got tarred with the same brush, unfortunately. Dick can’t see her and not think of her father.”

“That sucks,” Steph said.

“Worse, Talia was telling the truth in the kitchen. She never did anything to help the situation, and she was in Gotham a lot in those days. She doesn’t like Dick, either, and never bothered to hide it. Not to mention, treating him like an obnoxious child - when she’s only four or so years older than he is - just made it worse. He got to the point where he just couldn’t stand her, so he demanded that Bruce choose between them.”

Steph sucked in a breath. “Oh, no.”

Babs shrugged. “Bruce refused. Benched Dick for the night, sent him to his room - treated him like a kid. To be fair, he _ was _ head over heels in love with Talia at the time, and unwilling to hear any ill spoken of her. Dick’s concerns were legitimate - even after she killed Ra’s, Talia hasn’t walked away from his legacy. She became the Demon instead. Dick believed - and I happen to agree - that Talia would never be able to turn her back completely on what she was raised to be. She would never live by Bruce’s code. You saw how she was about Selina; if she’d had the slightest chance, she would’ve killed Joker for what he did to Jay. And me. She would probably kill Black Mask for what he did to you. Talia doesn’t have any hesitation about killing people, as long as they’re not innocent.”

Steph nodded. “Gotcha. And Jay’s like that too, isn’t he? Makes sense for why he chose to stay with her. Here, Bruce and Dick and everybody would always be trying to stop him from killing.”

Babs looked up at her thoughtfully. “You know the fundamental difference between Bruce and Jay?”

“Nope, but you do, because Oracle knows all,” Steph replied promptly.

“Bruce _ witnessed _ the murder of his parents, and decided he was going to do everything in his power to prevent it from happening to another child. For him, killing the rogues makes him one of them. Jay _ experienced _ being murdered, and decided the only sure way to stop Joker from killing again was to kill him. For Jay, killing Joker is no different than shooting a mad dog before it bites someone.” Babs paused, and decided the hell with it, Stephanie had already seen too much. There was no sense shielding things from her just because she was young. “After I got out of the hospital, I learned to shoot, and I have a gun permit. I can’t blame Jay. In his place, I probably would’ve hunted down Joker, too. Instead I built myself a life where I’m more powerful than ever before, where what he did to me doesn’t even matter. But still, if my doorbell ever rings late a night, it’s comforting to have the gun … knowing I could pull the trigger.”

“I can see that,” Steph replied. “Five minutes after I broke my wrist getting out of those handcuffs, if I could’ve held a gun I would’ve gladly shot Sionis in the face. Now … I don’t know. I’ve moved past it.”

“For Jay, it was different. I’m not about to judge him,” Babs said. What she _ didn’t _ say was that she was quite certain Jay’s nightmares about his death had been enhanced by his resurrection in the Lazarus Pit. Only Joker’s death would silence them, or so Jay believed.

And given the way Talia spoke about certain things, Babs was beginning to believe she had her own trauma that could only be washed away by blood. Not that Babs had any idea what it was - Talia was never forthcoming about such things, nor were they ever close enough that she could ask - but to her eyes, Talia carried herself with the hard-won strength of a survivor.

Steph asked, “So Dick’s issue with Talia is just old history and conflicting morals? Because he’s on the no-kill train right along with Bruce.”

“That, and how dominant she is,” Babs said. “There might be a slice of denial in it, too.”

“Denial?” Steph asked, tilting her head.

The idea had occurred to Babs when Jay asked about Kori, and she elaborated on it. “Dick spent his childhood in the circus, but his adolescence with Bruce. And Bruce has some serious control issues.”

“Don’t we all?” Steph laughed.

“Well, yes, in our line of work we have to have as much control over ourselves and circumstances as possible. But Bruce takes it to another level. He never really had a good Alpha role model growing up; he had memories of his father, but he was raised by Alfred. Once he hit puberty, I think the hormonal changes really rattled him.” Babs adjusted her glasses again, thinking of how to word it. “I don’t think he’s been in rut since he was old enough to take suppressants. He’s on them as much as is safely possible, and when he’s off, he wears nasal filters and a full mask as much as he can. For Bruce, rut means being out of control. I think Dick picked up on that; he’s dated Alphas, but mostly Omegas and Betas. He doesn’t like being in heat, either, it’s an annoyance that gets in his way of getting things done.”

Steph nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah, he hates having to sideline me when I’m in heat. I hate missing out on stuff, too. It’s one thing going to school, I’m distracted but I can work. Out in the field? I can’t risk that.”

“And Talia’s never been suppressed,” Babs pointed out. “I need to talk to Dick about it, but I think he has some unconscious bias based on that fact alone. He might not have ever trusted her simply because he sees her as unstable. When in fact, she’s shown herself to have damn good control, even hovering on the edge of rut.”

“I could see that,” Steph mused. “This whole situation is making it worse, with Bruce being in mega-rut and people actually _ dying _ from it. No wonder Dick sees it as a bad thing.”

“I’ll talk to him,” Babs said. “And you need to go get some sleep. It’s going to be a busy night, tonight.”

“Yes, ma’am!” Steph said cheerfully, and hopped down. Babs watched her go with a smile. That gradually faded as she thought about the conversation she needed to have with Dick.

Ah well, soonest begun was soonest done, and she left her computer running to go find him.


	36. Chapter 36

Talia woke up in the middle of the afternoon, sunlight peeking through the heavy curtains. In her sleep she’d rolled over and curled up to Jay’s back, her arm stealing around his waist. Now she nuzzled his shoulder, breathing in the scent of him. “I love you,” Talia whispered, knowing he was too deeply asleep to hear her, but needing to say it anyway.

Jay was simply the best thing that had ever happened to her. She had not expected to fall in love with him; hadn’t wanted to admit it, at first. But he was so purely good to her, and he so stubbornly refused to give up, even when she’d discouraged him. Even when she’d lied to him. Talia knew she didn’t deserve that; his love came to her by grace, and she was honored to have it.

At this hour, there was no point in trying to go back to sleep. So Talia got up, dressed again, and went down to the kitchen quietly, hoping not to disturb anyone else. She knew her way around well enough to make herself a cup of tea, and then she could go to the library and find a book to take back to the room, passing the hours until they set out. 

Unfortunately, she wasn’t the only one awake. Richard Grayson was there before her, pouring milk into a bowl of cereal. Talia held back in the doorway, watching him, trying to throttle the coal of resentment burning in her chest. After all their talk of cooperation, after she had tried to make amends for past mistakes, he’d gone and told Jason about her involvement in the heroin trade. Talia knew that part of her anger was shame: embarrassment at her lie of omission being exposed in front of all of these near-strangers, and even more so at her own cowardice for not telling Jay the truth.

No matter how much she might personally dislike Richard, though, Talia couldn’t believe he’d said it _ deliberately _ to drive a wedge between them. He had a sense of honor as keen as her own, even if they differed on some essential points, and would not stoop so low.

“You can stop lurking, Talia, I know you’re there,” he said, without bothering to turn around.

She thought about arguing that she’d been politely waiting her turn, not _ lurking_, but decided it was too easy to argue with him. Instead, she told him, “Just admiring the view, actually.”

That brought his head up sharply, his expression full of horrified disbelief, and Talia couldn’t help laughing. “Richard, please. We both know there’s never been an iota of attraction between us. You are a beautiful man, true, but emphatically _ not _ my type.”

He set the milk down and crossed his arms, staring at her. “So what’s the point in making a comment like that?”

Talia shrugged. “It seemed better to say something so outrageously false than to bicker about the difference between lurking and just waiting to make a cup of tea.”

Richard narrowed his eyes suspiciously, and Talia gritted her teeth against the frustration of being so untrustworthy in his eyes. Nothing she said would change his mind, she knew. After a moment, he sighed and stretched his neck, relenting. “Look, Talia … I thought he _ knew_. I admit, I tend to think the worst of you, but even I didn’t think you’d hide that from him.”

She leaned against the doorframe. He didn’t expect an explanation, nor did she owe him one, but for once he’d thought better of her than she was. “I inherited those trade agreements when I succeeded my father. I changed them, but if we completely divested ourselves, someone else would take over - and _ they _ might not care to ensure that the farmers get enough profit to survive. It’s an ugly trade, and I despise it.”

“But you’ve never been afraid of getting your hands dirty,” Richard pointed out.

He didn’t sound like he was baiting her into a quarrel, so Talia gave him a civil answer to that. “I cannot claim your moral certainty. But I prefer blood on my hands to this filth, and there are lines I will not cross. _ Human _ trafficking, I will not involve myself in, nor allow it to exist under my purview. Wherever we find it, he and I put a stop to it.”

“Yeah, he told me that,” Richard said. He shook his head and rubbed a hand over his face. “He also told me why that’s personal for him.”

Talia slipped past him to put the kettle on, finding the tea in the same cabinet it had been stored in years ago. Choosing her words carefully, she replied, “I suspect most Omegas take such things personally. Just as most women do. We live in a world geared to the comfort of Alpha males. Everyone else learns to protect themselves however they can.”

“Agreed, but it’s easier being an Alpha woman than a beta or Omega,” he said, just as cautious.

Talia chuckled. “You only say that because the Alphas you know are heroes, for the most part. Koriand’r has an impressive suite of powers. Even Lois Lane has reliable backup. I have to ensure my own safety, which means reminding everyone that I _ am _ Alpha, and not to be trifled with. Even if it becomes inconvenient.”

“Being Alpha is inconvenient?” he asked, and while the question was impertinent, his tone was honest query. 

Talia glanced at him, and decided to answer honestly. “You are Omega, and suppressed. You need only deal with being in heat once every other year or so. To be recognized for what I am, I must be unsuppressed - and I would not blind my nose, in any case. That means I am constantly aware of everyone else’s designation. Your Stephanie is about five weeks from her next heat, and I know that from conversational distance.” 

He frowned a little. “I can see how that would be distracting if she was actually in heat, but outside of it, why would that bother you?”

“Because even if I were suppressed, I would still be Alpha, and the old instincts do not listen well to modern realities,” Talia replied. “I _ know _ Stephanie is in good hands, that she is safer here with you and Barbara and the rest than anywhere else in the world, but the part of my brain that takes its orders from scent insists that I should ask after her welfare. That _ I _ should protect her, despite being an utter stranger to her. Hell, you’ve insulted me and interfered between me and Jay, plus you are demonstrably capable of caring for Bruce’s entire flock in his absence, and there is still a part of me that says I ought to worry about you, too.”

The corner of his mouth tugged upward in an attempt at a smile. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“It was meant as one,” Talia told him. The kettle was cold, and would take a while to warm, so she turned to face him. “It’s something of a toss-up, whether you or Barbara is the strongest person in this household. It came as no surprise to find you leading them, Richard.”

He looked honestly surprised. “You, the definition of an Alpha’s Alpha, _ you _ expected me to end up in charge here?”

She raised her eyebrows in disbelief. “Is that not what you trained for? Are you not the best suited of all Bruce’s children to take his mantle? Cain may be a better warrior, but you are a better leader. Did you expect me to think otherwise because you’re Omega? I have been foolish, Richard, but not _ that _ foolish. Even if I was, Jason would have taught me better by now.”

“I never thought you’d be able to surprise me,” he said slowly, in tones of wonderment. “I know you were raised to think of Omegas as weak - ”

“Not weak themselves, Richard. As an Alpha’s weakness,” Talia corrected. “The desire to protect an Omega makes us vulnerable. I knew better than to follow Jay here - and I could not stop myself. I feared losing him too much. It is not rational, but then, I did not have the most rational childhood.” That was all she was willing to say about it to him. 

He looked at her musingly. “None of us can really help how we were raised. Babs and I are the only ones in this house who had a good childhood, and by most standards I had the weirdest one. People talk about the circus like … well, like circus people are a bunch of freaks. And maybe in some ways we are. But growing up, I never worried about the Alphas in the circus or in the audience. We were a _ family_. We protected each other. Nobody in Haley’s - Alpha, Beta, Omega, whatever - would’ve let anyone hurt me.”

Talia had never really considered that, and she looked at him thoughtfully. “A society of outcasts, in a way. Loyal to each other because the rest of the world could not be trusted.”

This time, his smile was more certain. “When you’ve got a pair of married Alphas running the show, the top lion-tamer is in a four-person marriage that’s all Betas, and one of the trick-riders is an Omega trans woman, you really can’t see why the rest of the world makes such a fuss about all of it. Just treat each other decently, and let people do what makes them happy as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone else. But I learned pretty quickly not to expect other people to be as open-minded.”

That made a great deal of sense. “Despite our mutual antipathy, I never thought you hated me for being Alpha, or had the notion that Bruce deserved an Omega,” she said carefully. “I was young and foolish enough to see you as a rival for his affections. I do regret alienating you, now.”

Dick looked at her appraisingly. “Yeah, well, you’re right. I did my share of alienating too. But it was never because you’re Alpha, and always because of your father. Anyone ruthless enough to have _ both _ of us kidnapped, just can’t be trusted.”

Talia closed her eyes and stretched her head back, trying for patience. “Do your acquaintances bring up your background these days, Richard? Do they tell you that you can never be trusted, that all carnies are liars and swindlers?”

He bristled. “No, but the parallel you’re trying to draw doesn’t apply. You were trained as an assassin, and you’re still running your father’s League. I’m not out there swinging from the trapeze every night.”

“No, of course not,” she said, as the kettle began to boil. Talia pulled it off and poured hot water over the tea, its fragrance rising to her sensitive nose on a wave of welcome calm. “You swing from grapnels, instead. You took your training and made it work for what you chose to become. As I have. You know very well that I am not simply an assassin, or even a _ terrorist _.”

He didn’t have a reply for that, watching her as the tea steeped. Finally, he said, “And it’s not really about Bruce anymore, anyway. I got an uncomfortable talk from Babs, too - it sucks when people can see right through you. Look, Talia … I don’t get this with you and Jay. Maybe because you were always absolutely off-limits for me. Maybe because I never figured him for the kind to fall in love with _ any _ Alpha. I don’t know. I just want my brother to be safe, and happy.”

She couldn’t hide the flash of hurt in her eyes. “And you think I would risk him needlessly? What part of _ I love him _ is so difficult for you to understand?”

He scowled. “I’ve seen what you can do to someone you love, Talia, and it’s not always pretty. You broke Bruce’s heart more than once.”

“As he broke mine, first,” Talia replied sharply. “I’ll grant you the point - my relationship with Bruce was always turbulent, but _ both _ of us made it so. Jay and I … it’s not the same. He loves me for who I am, not in spite of it.”

“He made that pretty clear, too,” Richard admitted. He finally gave her an expressive shrug. “What do you want, Talia? My blessing? Why do you even care what I think?”

“Because _ he _ cares,” she shot back. “Jay walked away from all of you whom he loved, for me, and I would give him back his family if I could. Even if it means humbling myself for your precious approval.”

They had been focused on each other, and when Alfred cleared his throat from the doorway, both of them turned to him in surprise. “Master Jason is welcome in this house, at any time he chooses. He is equally free to leave when he chooses. Unfortunately I cannot make promises regarding you, Ms. al Ghul, but if Master Bruce wishes to retain my services, he will not close his door to his son, nor try to force him to remain here against his will. If he listens to reason, he will permit you both to visit.”

Talia blinked, not having expected any reinforcement, and the butler continued in an almost embarrassed tone, “And that tea shall over-steep, in a moment more.”

She managed a chuckle, pulling the metal mesh tea strainer from her cup. “My thanks, Alfred. Would that I always had someone of your perspicacity around to save me from egregious errors.”

He raised a silver brow. “You employ no domestic staff?”

“None of your caliber,” Talia replied, and reached for the honey, sweetening her tea to taste.

Richard, meanwhile, just sighed. “Well, if _ Alfred _ trusts you, I guess I’d better get used to it.”

“You forget, Master Richard, I know you both better than you know one another,” Alfred pointed out. “And you both ought to be resting.”

Talia lifted her cup, smiling gratefully. “I shall retire, so as not to incur your wrath.” Then she looked back at Richard, and made a difficult but necessary decision. “When we set out tonight, I shall follow your lead. This is your city, and you know Bruce better than anyone. If there is anything I can contribute to your strategy, I will do so without undermining your authority.”

That clearly surprised him. “Okay … thanks, Talia. We know he’s somewhere near Crime Alley, most of the time. I’d planned to take all of us out on patrol through there. Just having Selina in the field should be enough to make him show up, but if that doesn’t work, you encroaching on his turf will.”

She nodded. “I will be a shadow. Only if Ms. Kyle or any of you are in danger will I close in.”

“We’ll give you one of our comms so we can coordinate,” Richard said, on firmer ground with a plan settled. 

Talia took herself out, heading upstairs with the tea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is this the first time Dick and Talia have ever just _talked_ to each other, instead of snarking? It might very well be.


	37. Chapter 37

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A quieter chapter this Friday; things will be clicking along again in the next one. I do hope you enjoy the guest appearance in this one.
> 
> Thank you again to everyone who's commented, bookmarked, subscribed, and left kudos. You are all amazing.

Jay was still asleep when Talia returned to the room, and she paused by the bedside to brush his hair back from his face. He needed a haircut soon; that was something he tended to put off until the length of his hair annoyed him. Handsome as he was, he’d never succumbed to vanity. Then again, Jay tended not to see physical attractiveness as anything more than a useful social mechanism.

She closed herself in the bathroom so as not to wake him, and called Khairah. The girl answered on the third ring, just as Talia began to grow nervous. “Sire?” 

Talia let out the breath she’d been holding. “Just checking in. I dislike leaving you alone so long in such a dangerous city.”

“The only danger just now is that I might expire from boredom,” Khairah said with a very adolescent sigh. “There’s nothing worth watching on television, and I read the books we brought until my eyes hurt. And the cleaning staff here use some kind of strong floral scent out in the hallways. I sneezed for half an hour.”

“My apologies, Khairah,” Talia murmured. “If we do not catch him tonight, I will return to you.”

Now she sounded chagrined. “It isn’t necessary. Your task is important; you shouldn’t have to cater to the whims of a child.”

Talia closed her eyes, listening to the nuances of tone, trying to remember what it was like to be fifteen and have the Demon’s Head for a parent. What would she have felt, what would she have wanted? “You are _ my _ child, Khairah, and precious to me. For that alone, I would come back tonight.”

“_I’m _ precious to you?” Khairah asked, disbelieving. “We’ve only known each other a few months.”

This was not a conversation to have over the phone. Perhaps, though, via phone was the only way to have it; Talia knew herself to be less-than-stellar at communicating emotions, thanks to her father. And they were both strong Alphas besides, tending toward stoicism. The illusion of anonymity - as if they were not baring their souls simply because they couldn’t look into each other’s eyes - let them speak more freely. 

Talia said softly, “Ya albi, do not doubt me or yourself. You deserve to be cherished. I see so much of myself in you, and I would spare you if I can all the sorrows I’ve known. Loneliness is chief among them.”

A listening silence, and when Khairah spoke it was with none of the adolescent defensiveness Talia often saw in her. “It seems strange that you would be lonely. You know everyone in the world.”

“But how many of them know _ me_?” she replied. “Yes, the Demon is a name known and feared across the globe. How many people do you think know me for myself?”

Khairah managed a chuckle. “Not many. But you insist on that distance.”

Talia hesitated, then told her, “My father loved me, yet he used and betrayed me. He was willing to see me suffer, even die, for the greater good. My sister Nyssa, he treated much the same. When I met her I thought I had finally found a friend. Instead she murdered and resurrected me repeatedly, breaking my mind so I would do her bidding. Even Batman could not see me without the Demon’s legacy shrouding our love. When those who should be closest to me have used me so, why should I let anyone else in?”

“Your life is marked by such cruelty. And yet, despite those horrors, you don’t counsel me to solitude,” Khairah pointed out.

“Because despite having every reason to be aloof, I miss the connections and the camaraderie I see among others,” Talia replied. “My personality is set, and it is difficult to change. You are still young enough to choose who you will become. I would not have you repeat my mistakes.”

A long pause, and Khairah finally said, “If you would spare me grief, you should be at least as kind to yourself. Let yourself be known, Sire. Anyone who knows you as I am learning to, ought to love you as I do.”

“Wise words, my daughter,” Talia murmured. “I love you, too.”

That made Khairah shy again, and they signed off. Talia tipped her head back, gathering her composure. She’d always wanted to be a parent … and always feared that she would do a poor job of it. Her own childhood, though it had its joys and she had never doubted her father’s love, was more akin to a training program designed to create an exemplary warrior. The glimpses she’d seen of ordinary lives made her yearn for something simpler, warmer, more real perhaps. She had once watched a father braid his daughter’s hair on the train, and though neither had spoken, the love between them had quietly filled the entire train car, until Talia’s heart ached with emotions she couldn’t even name.

Not only did she not remember that kind of tender, nurturing love very well, most of it confined to her earliest years, she had no idea how to be that kind of parent. Love, for her, was bound up in pride and success. She had lived for the chance to earn an approving smile from her father.

Talia was learning, though, and Jay was a godsend. He naturally had a way with children, a side of himself that could be playful and gentle and surpassingly kind, without ever letting the child in question disrespect him. Jay didn’t spoil Khairah, but he was easier with her than Talia was, and she tried to follow his example.

One more call needed to be made, and Talia had to go through various channels just to get the number. It rang for long moments, and then a low persuasive voice spoke in Farsi. “What does the Demon want with an agent of Spyral?”

Talia replied in the same tongue, “I want nothing from Spyral. From Tiger King of Kandahar, I would have advice. Perhaps assistance, if you will.”

“What advice could you possibly need from me, Talia al Ghul?” he asked. Tiger was one of those men who spoke more softly the angrier they were. He also spoke softly when he was being polite, or simply trying not to be overheard. It made him difficult to read, especially over the phone.

“I need to pull out of the black market heroin trade in Afghanistan, without causing any further destabilization,” Talia told him plainly. “I have contacts there, but none whom I would trust with such a task.”

“And what caused this sudden change of heart?” he asked, sounding intrigued.

“The prickings of my conscience,” Talia replied, and he laughed. “I’m quite serious, Tiger.” In some ways, Jay _ was _ her conscience; his own sense of morality had never been dulled by his circumstances, or by the machinations of Ra’s al Ghul.

A pause, and Tiger asked, “I almost believe you. What advantage is there to you withdrawing from the Golden Crescent trade? It will cost you hundreds of millions.”

“I have hundreds of millions to lose,” Talia pointed out. “It is time to divest. In the early years, the League being involved seemed like a better option than letting the radicals take it over. No longer.”

“Oh, so those aren’t _ your _ radicals?” he asked sharply.

“My men don’t consider pigeon racing a crime punishable by death,” Talia replied, letting her anger at such wasteful folly show in her voice. “Nor do they deface monuments, or ban girls and Omegas from school. Some of those bloodthirsty zealots might be my countrymen, but I do not share their views.”

Tiger mulled that over, and she waited patiently. At last, he said, “I admit to being intrigued. If you are sincere, you could be a very useful ally to the elements in my country who wish for stability and progress. Though I personally consider myself a citizen of the globe, these days, perhaps I might advise you for old times’ sake.”

“I am a citizen of the world, myself,” Talia told him, and let a trace of honeyed tone soften her voice. “And still I wish to see the lands of my youth succeed, and take their place among the global community, without losing all that makes them _ home _ in the process. I thought you might feel the same. Afghanistan is beautiful, Tiger, and Kandahar Province lovelier still. For that alone I would see it restored. But I know I would be just another outsider, making plans for peoples not my own. Help me to do better than the West has.”

He paused so long that she thought the connection had broken. And then, quietly, Tiger said, “Perhaps this is better discussed in person. Where are you, these days?”

“Metropolis,” she lied. Spyral had some conflict with Gotham, last she’d heard, and Talia did not want to invite more trouble than she’d already been served. “I will be returning to the Levant soon. Shall I contact you then?”

“I’m in Beijing at present,” he told her. “Surely we will find ourselves in the same time zone soon enough. Call on me when you return, and we will make arrangements.”

“Thank you. I appreciate your willingness to discuss the matter.”

Talia signed off, and sat there thinking over the options. Dealing with Tiger ran the risk of throwing her support behind his own biases, but she could not believe that he would support any of the more extreme factions. He loved his country and his people, just as she did. He would not do anything to harm them.

And doing as little harm as possible, for the betterment of all the world, was her mandate these days. Talia stood up and opened the door.

Jay was out there, leaning against the wall with a little smile. She hadn’t heard him getting up, and Talia startled back at first, scowling when she realized her surprise was obvious. He said, gently teasing, “I was gonna give you grief about setting up meetings with other men, but I heard enough of that to thank you instead.”

“Don’t thank me for something I should’ve done years ago,” Talia replied, aggrieved. “I justified it to myself for too long.”

“You’re fixing it now. That’s one thing about you, T, once you know something’s wrong, you make it right.” Jay looked at her with a tenderness few would believe of him - or of her.

Talia took his hand and pressed a kiss to his palm. “How could I not?”

He tipped her chin up and kissed her, Talia wreathing her arms around his neck. For a long moment they merely stood in one another’s embrace, savoring the connection between them. “I love you,” Talia murmured.

“I love you, too,” Jay replied, and his arms around her waist squeezed her affectionately. “C’mon, we’ve got an hour or so. Not long enough to sleep, but we can at least rest a bit.”

Talia nodded agreement, and followed him back to bed, bringing her tea along despite the fact that it had grown cold.


	38. Chapter 38

In the Batcave, a somber atmosphere prevailed as everyone readied themselves to go out on the hunt. Alfred had brought the rental car around earlier, so Talia had her armor, and she nodded approval at the staff Dick offered her. He also gave her one of their comm units, which she tucked into her ear. And then she felt Richard’s eyes on her as she buckled on her shoulder holster. 

“We’re not using lethal force,” he said.

She looked at him steadily, and sensed Jay tensing to intervene. Instead she answered with all the calm she could summon. “If I’m wrong about his self-control, I will use any means necessary to stop him from harming the Cat. Or any of you. He would prefer death, to your blood on his hands.”

Richard still looked worried, and Jay put in, “C’mon, Dick, nobody _ wants _ to shoot him. But we all know how well-trained he is. This is gonna be a helluva fight. Maybe some insurance is necessary.”

Talia continued, more truthful than she preferred to be, “I loved him, once. I love him still, though it is not the same as when I would have thrown my life away to be with him. I won’t shoot him unless we _ have _ to.” Then she returned her attention to dressing, having said all she intended to on the topic. Her basic uniform hugged her skin tightly from the high-collared neck down to her ankles laced into boots, containing her scent. She also sprayed a quick burst of odor neutralizer along her wrists and under her chin to further hide it.

Finally Richard nodded. “All right. If you trust me to run this mission, Talia, I can trust you not to get trigger-happy. Just … never mind. Let’s hope for the best.”

Her jaw clenched, knowing he’d been about to include a further admonishment, but if he could stop himself from saying it, she could keep herself from bristling at it. All Talia said was, “Battle plans?”

Dick stepped over to the computer and brought up a map of the Bowery. Beside Talia, Jay studied it carefully. Those streets were once his home, after all. “He’s mostly focused around Crime Alley. We’ll take it like a normal patrol, with Selina and Jay with us. Talia, hang back at first. Hopefully seeing either of them will bring Bruce out, and we’ll try to handle it from there. But if things start going sideways, you don’t have to wait for us to call - just jump in. And if he doesn’t show, we’ll try using you to lure him in.”

“I understand why it’s the last option, but I assure you, it will succeed if nothing else does. If Bruce scents me anywhere near the lot of you, he’ll come to challenge me,” Talia said with utter certainty.

Dick frowned a little at that. “We’re not _ all _ his Omegas.”

She chuckled. “No, you are his _ family_. And what is an Alpha’s clan if not a family built and chosen? These notions of Alpha and Omega roles, all the sociologists spouting their theories about packs as if men were pariah dogs, none of it bears much relation to historical reality. Before the advent of cities, humankind lived in clans; some such as the Bedu and the San and the Yanomami still do. And an Alpha’s duty to his or her chosen family, _ especially _ the Omegas, is to protect them. If he is operating solely on instinct, that will be his strongest drive.” 

She looked them all in the eyes, studiously. Selina, even more feline when nervous as she was now, her body language shut down but her eyes jewel-bright with tension. Richard, deeply concerned with the safety and well-being of his clan, Omegas and Betas alike. Timothy, studious as ever, glad to have his family at his side but deeply focused on the goal. Cassandra, the calmest of them all, but for a warrior of her superlative skill there was little risk. Young Stephanie, shifting her feet in anticipation, scared of facing a furious feral Batman but geared up to just _ go _ already. And her Jason, taut and waiting, ready to roll out and face impossible odds as long as he could do it at her side. Four very different Omegas, plus two Betas, and Bruce would fight to protect any of them.

“So far as he’s concerned, I am a foreign Alpha, and therefore a threat. If he catches my scent anywhere near any of you, he _ will _ come,” Talia said. “And like as not, try to kill me.”

“We won’t let him,” Richard promised, and Talia felt her lips curve up in an unconscious smile. That was the moment when he decided that she was one of _ his_, an Omega’s possessiveness just as deep as an Alpha’s, if not so violently obvious. He had just made her safety a priority, and anyone who thought Omegas were weak, good for breeding and little else, had never known one whose family was in danger. Alphas were made to protect their clans by going out to fight threats; Omegas and Betas answered any threat that made it home. Often more brutally and finally than many Alphas. 

She remembered old tales of intrigue in harems; two Alphas could coexist once dominance was firmly established, but two Omegas who despised each other could never be safely left alone together. They might not be as swift to resort to physical violence, but all the old texts had their warning tales about Omegas poisoning rivals or manipulating them into betraying themselves. It was very unwise to underestimate an Omega.

“Everyone gets two canisters of sedative gas,” Timothy said, passing them out, and Talia strapped hers to her wrists. “One spray should make him drowsy. It might take three to knock him out.”

“Okay, because I’m the resident klutz, what if we spray ourselves?” Stephanie asked.

Timothy looked at her. “Good night, I guess. This is twice the potency we use to knock out normal opponents in one spray. Try not to do it jumping over a roof.”

She scoffed. “Thanks, Tim. You’re the most caring and sensitive boyfriend, I swear.”

Talia glanced at them; she’d been under the impression that Cassandra was the blonde’s lover. But Timothy just shrugged, as if it was a known fact, and she put the thought aside. What the children did amongst themselves was their own business.

“Are we ready?” Jay asked.

“Just about. Transport - most of us have bikes, but since you’re riding with the only Alpha in the group, you two should take the car.” Richard tossed a set of keys overhand, and Jay laughed as he caught them. “Leave the tires on it this time, okay?”

“I’ve driven the Batmobile before,” Jay chuckled.

Richard rolled his eyes. “He never let _ me _ drive it until I was in my twenties, and barely even then.”

They went their separate ways, and Jay opened the Batmobile’s sliding top remotely, looking fondly at the car. “I remember being so impressed by this thing. Why don’t we have one, T?”

“Because we don’t feel the need to announce to the world who we are,” she told him, smiling, as they got in. 

They fell into companionable silence during the drive, and Talia at last let herself feel a trace of unease. If all went well, she would end this evening by seeing Bruce again. Bruce, whom she had called Beloved and meant it with every breath. Bruce for whom she had wanted to cast aside her father and her legacy, uproot every signpost of her life and future, Bruce for whom she would have torn out her very sense of self and offered it to him like a love-gift. Like her heart. 

Bruce who had loved her in return, whose stony heart had melted for her, Bruce who was as passionate and tender as anyone could wish. Bruce who never cared that she was Alpha, who loved matching wits with her, who never tried to own her as some men did - or be owned by her, as others did. 

Bruce who could not see her without her father’s shadow falling across her face. Bruce whose son she had stolen away from him - at least, that was surely how he saw it, and never mind that Jay lived in full possession of his mind solely because of _ her_.

Bruce who had not spoken to her since she had become the Demon.

Talia sighed, and tipped her head back, letting Jason drive. “Memories?” he asked.

“Yes,” she replied, not wanting to explore the topic further.

They parked a little distance from Crime Alley, and Barbara’s voice spoke in both of their ears. “Report.”

Richard answered first. “Wing, Cat, and Batgirl, on the roof of the Kane building.”

Timothy next. “Robin and Black Bat, two blocks west of you, Wing, and coming in.”

Jay glanced at her; he had a comm device built into his helmet, and had given Barbara the encryption key before they left. “Hood and Demon, parked a block south. Coming up to join you.”

“Good. Standard patrol,” Barbara said. “Hood, fall in with Robin. Demon, wait on above, two blocks behind them.” 

Talia smiled; ‘wait on’ was a falconry term she remembered from her youth. Her father’s favorite gyrfalcon would be sent aloft, spiraling up and up, and then soar above them, waiting on for the humans below to flush her prey from hiding. She remembered walking through dry grasses, the startling rush of a chukar’s wings, and then the falcon falling with dizzying speed to strike.

It would not be so, tonight. Her quarry was as skilled a hunter as herself. No, if she saw action tonight, it would be like the time they’d nearly lost their beautiful falcon. A francolin sprang into the air, the gyrfalcon stooped on it … and from even higher above, a golden eagle had slipped sideways out of a cloud and taken aim at the diving falcon. Ra’s al Ghul had called in his bird, and she’d seen the eagle, changing course abruptly to take cover with her handler. The eagle had gotten the francolin instead, but it had been much too narrow a miss.

Talia thought she was more falcon than eagle - agile, swift, focused - while Bruce was stronger and more determined like the large, powerful raptor. But she would play the eagle’s role in tonight’s hunt.

She had scaled buildings before, and climbed quickly to the roof. Her practiced eye caught the hints of motion as the rest moved into position. Jay gave her one last look, and whispered, “Good luck,” before leaping across the gap between buildings.

Watching them all leave, quartering the city, Talia hung back, waiting for a shadow to fall on them.


	39. Chapter 39

Standard patrol meant working back and forth along the blocks, watching the streets below, jumping in to intervene in anything sketchy. Jay found himself hanging back a little, letting Tim and Cass set the pace. They were both highly competent martial artists, but watching Cass put down three drug dealers with her graceful economy of motion, he sort of felt superfluous.

This wasn’t about showing off style, though, it was about luring Bruce out, and Jay figured his presence might help accomplish that. “Let me take point?” he asked. 

Tim glanced at him, realized instantly why he’d asked, and nodded. The kid was sharp, Jay had never doubted that. 

With Jay in the lead, their next takedowns were less elegant, but just as effective. He knocked out a carjacker, stalked a mugger and scared the hell outta him before he could get to his own target, and interrupted a drug deal. The last got a little bloody, with one guy’s broken nose spouting every damn where, and Jay saw Cass frowning. “Unnecessary,” she commented.

“It works,” Jay replied with a small shrug.

That was when Talia’s voice spoke up over the comm. “Nightwing, there’s movement behind you. The building directly south, in the scaffolding on the rooftop.”

Jay had been listening to Dick’s updates, letting Tim provide their own, so they all knew where Dick’s team was. “Let’s flank him,” he said, and Tim and Cass both nodded.

“It might not be him,” Dick said cautiously. “There’s plastic sheeting over that scaffolding. Some of it looks loose.”

“It is loose,” Talia replied. “And the movement I saw was counter to the wind.”

Babs came on. “Go north to 39th Avenue, then cut west. When you cross the street there, I should catch him on the thermal cam.”

“Demon, stay put for now,” Dick advised. “If you can see him, he might have seen you.”

“Understood,” Talia replied.

Meanwhile Jay’s group had circled around and got to rooftop level at the intersection where Dick was leading his team. Jay saw them approach, Dick and Steph moving fast but comfortably, Selina looking over her shoulder worriedly. Tim motioned for his group to wait, and so Jay let the three Omegas pass by. “Negative on the thermal,” Babs said.

“He’s back there,” Selina whispered. “I just _ know _ it. And he knows where your cams are, Oracle.”

“That he does. If anyone can evade me, it's him,” Babs murmured.

Jay never actually saw the man himself, but Cass suddenly tensed beside him, and he followed the direction of her gaze. There _ was _ a way to get to this roof unseen, if you followed exactly in the shadow of a cell phone tower, and Jay stared at the deeper darkness there until his eyes ached.

Dick had gone to the parapet of the next building, looking down as if this was still a normal patrol, and Selina was practically glued to his side. Some old hunter’s instinct stirred in Jay, and he coiled himself to spring from concealment and race over to them.

On the street below, a car backfired, startling all of them. For the fraction of a second that his keyed-up brain wondered if that had been a gunshot, Jay turned his head in that direction.

When he turned back, Batman was there, as if he’d just _ appeared _ not ten yards away from Selina. She gave a squeak of surprise, leaping back from him, one hand going to her whip.

Dick and Steph looked equally taken aback, but he spoke quickly, using a soothing tone. “Batman, let us help you.”

That cowled head never turned away from Selina, who cursed under her breath. But she tried, despite how her voice trembled, to reason with him. “C’mon, Bat, let’s just go home. Let the kids take care of you.”

“I have him on visual,” Babs said. “He can understand you, we know that much. Whether he’ll listen…”

He didn’t speak, didn’t even cock his head at her voice, only moved forward with slow strides. Jay could see that his uniform was scuffed and scarred from the fights he’d been in, and when a flicker of breeze brought his scent to Jay’s group, he could tell that Bruce hadn’t bathed recently. He stank of sweat and blood and above all else, _ Alpha_. At this distance, his scent was as strong as Talia’s when she was in rut and Jay buried his nose in the hollow of her throat.

Selina shifted her weight, and Jay murmured into the comm, “Easy, Catwoman. He won’t hurt you. Stand your ground.” To his eye, Bruce didn’t look threatening. He’d seen Talia move with that same purposeful stride that wasn’t _ quite _ a predatory stalk, and her mind had never been on violence when she did it.

“I really hope you’re right,” she said, and squared up to him. “Damn, Bat, you _ stink_. Time to come home, take a bath, and let Alfred look you over.”

He had closed the distance between them to five feet or so, Dick and Steph standing frozen so as not to spook him, and Bruce was still keeping silent. He veered off a little then, circling around Selina, and she turned to keep facing him. Just watching her, Jay knew if she’d actually been a cat, her back would’ve been arched and her tail fluffed out. Scared, but ready to fight rather than run.

Batman stopped when he was downwind of her, breathing deeply of her scent, and he _ still _hadn’t made a sound. The tension just ratcheted higher with every passing second. “Bat?” Selina said.

He took one darting step toward her, and she shied back from the sudden movement. Batman froze then, and turned away. “No, wait!” Selina called.

Jay lunged out of hiding, cutting off his escape. “Hold on, Batman, we’re trying to help you,” he said.

His eyes were inscrutable behind the lenses, but Cass wasn’t the only one around who’d studied body language. She was just much more fluent, and still Bruce’s surprise was clear just from the line of his shoulders. Jay reached up quickly and popped his helmet off, facing the man who’d been his mentor - hell, his dad - with only his domino to hide behind.

Seeing him clearly startled the older man, and Cass moved up beside him. Dick and Steph were moving too, trying to surround him. But Batman looked at them all, and dropped a smoke pellet. “Catch him!” Dick called, and Jay leaped at where he thought the Bat would go.

He guessed wrong, but with six of them, someone had to get it right. Of course it was Tim, who tripped him with the staff, and then Cass was there. Bruce feinted, then lunged, and Jay had to admire how he’d chosen the one approach where his superior weight and strength would win out over Cass’ superlative skill. Something in the suit cracked, but Bruce got up faster than Cass.

Steph just flung herself at him, not even trying to take him down. She grabbed his arm and held on, apparently trusting everything Talia had said about Alphas being protective of _ all _ the Omegas in their care. “C’mon, Batman, let us help you!” she cried.

And for a wonder, it worked, stopping him for just a second. Then he moved to pry her off, but she’d gotten her free hand up near his face, and triggered the sedative spray.

_ That _ made him fling her aside, and he jumped back violently from the cloud of knockout gas. Now the game was up, he knew they were trying to catch him, and he bolted. Jay cursed, running at him. They only had to keep him still just long enough to dose him.

Behind him, Selina gave a yelp of surprise that halted Bruce in his tracks. He spun around, and so did all of his pursuers. They turned to see Selina through the dissipating smoke, almost yanked off her feet …

… by Talia’s grip on her arm. The Demon stared at her once-Beloved, holding Selina fast, and Bruce _ growled _ like no Alpha Jay had ever heard before. Selina’s eyes went wide, and she tried to jerk out of Talia’s grasp, but Talia only yanked her closer, with a little lift of her chin that showed she’d unzipped the throat of her suit. Her scent drifted to Jay, pure Alpha spiked with adrenaline. 

“Oh, shit,” Jay muttered, and got ready for a fight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The action arc of the fic is ramping up now. Hope you enjoy it!
> 
> Thank you for the kudos, comments, and bookmarks. You are all wonderful and inspire me to make this fic the best it can be.


	40. Chapter 40

Talia had understood the reasoning behind Richard’s orders; that didn’t mean she would follow them for their own sake. Her agreement to follow his lead didn’t apply when no one else could see her dissent, and her proximity might be crucial. She had been trained just as Bruce had, perhaps even more stringently, and she had no fear of him discovering her. While they tried to lead him in front of the thermal camera, she closed the distance, so that when he did make his appearance, she was able to slip up on them all in time.

Well that she did, because the six of them couldn’t hold him. The moment he realized he was in danger of being caught, Bruce tried to flee, and his children set out to chase him. Talia knew better than to run after him. Their success would rely on making _ him _ come to _ her_. And so she unzipped the neck of her suit and went for Selina, catching hold of her arm sharply enough to make her cry out.

Bruce wheeled, the Cat hissed at her, and once he was staring right at her, Talia tugged his Omega closer, glaring him down. _ Daring _ him to come and take Selina back, if the Cat was really his. It did not matter that he was nonverbal at the moment, sunk in instincts; she needed no words to issue the challenge.

He stalked forward, shoulders rolling, wrath brewing in him, and Selina drew in a frightened gasp. Talia stepped off the parapet, putting the Cat behind her, her eyes blazing as she went to meet the man she’d once wanted to marry. He stank of rut and rage, and her own scent glands cycled up in reply, her eyes dilating, adrenaline flooding her body.

She and Bruce had only ever fought with words. Two Alphas, each trained to the pinnacle of martial arts prowess, could not afford to get physical with one another. Part of her thrilled to this fight, a chance to test her skills against a deserving opponent, but most of her grieved for its necessity. They _ had _ to capture Bruce, to save his life and all the other Alphas affected by this mad scheme. Talia brought her borrowed staff up across her body, and closed with him.

He seemed reluctant, and would have gone around her to Selina, but she swept the staff at his knees and forced him to engage. With that first offensive move on her part, he gave up trying to avoid conflict, and turned to the attack.

The rest were circling around them, hemming them in, and Talia fought ruthlessly. They were both too fast for any of Bruce’s flock to simply dive in with the sedatives; they’d risk getting her, or one of the others. She was aware of Jay, half-crouched, ready to spring in if there was an opening. But Bruce didn’t give any of them a chance, moving far too quickly, wearing back and forth along Talia’s defenses. It seemed that once he’d decided she was the enemy, nothing would stop him from taking her down.

Her spine prickled like ice-water running down her back, as she kept the staff spinning, cracking it off his shins and forearms and shoulders to hold him off. Talia did _ not _ want to lose; his silent single-mindedness was unnerving. But he was simply too agile to knock down. Worse, he managed a stunning blow that shattered her staff, reminding her of the day she’d met Khairah. Her sword had broken Khairah’s staff; Bruce broke hers with one powerful strike of his gauntleted arm.

Talia fell back, hampered by the rest, and Jay dove in. He was the only one with the sheer mass to knock Bruce off his feet, and he did. For the few seconds they were on the ground, Cass managed to dart in and spray Bruce directly in the face with the knockout gas.

It didn’t slow him down at all. He threw Cass off, broke Jay’s hold, and drove his fist into her Omega’s stomach. Talia caught him across the temple with half of her staff, a blow that would’ve knocked most men unconscious, but the armor in his cowl protected him. _ Now _ she fought with anger on her own side, hearing the air whoosh painfully from Jay’s lungs. He got himself up and out of the way, and for a few minutes more the fight was simply too fast for the rest to intervene.

Selina’s whip flashed out, snaring Bruce’s ankles, and he went down again. Richard was on him, but this time Bruce knew what they were trying to do, and he shoved Richard’s arm away as the gas sprayed. Talia rushed him as he got up, trying to keep him still a moment longer, and all she managed was to lose half of her staff.

Bruce was on his feet again, turning like a cornered bull, with much the same threat telegraphed by his lowered head and hulking shoulders. Something had to be done, and quickly. “I can buy you twenty seconds,” Talia said. “But you’d damned well better _ use _ them, and pay no mind to me.”

Only Jay realized what she meant to do, and he yelled out, “Talia, _ no! _ He won’t stop, the way he is!”

“You have to knock him out in time, then,” she said coldly, breathing fast to flood her body and brain with oxygen, and bore in. 

Bruce was on to their tactics, and he took the other half of her staff. Talia did what all her training screamed at her _ not _ to do, and closed in with a stronger, faster, more desperate opponent. For a handful of blows she held her own, almost toe to toe with Bruce, and then she pretended to let her guard slip, turning sideways to sweep-kick him.

He dodged, and wrapped one arm around her throat. His elbow was just beneath her chin, and his forearm on one side and bicep on the other were compressing her carotid arteries. It didn’t matter how much air was in her lungs, now - none of it could reach her brain as he throttled her. She kicked his knee, dropping both of them to the ground with a bone-jarring thump, but he only tightened his grip, pinning her down.

Talia had let him get this hold, knowing she’d be unconscious in twenty seconds. That was time for the rest to spray him full of sedative while he was focused on choking her out. Still, she couldn’t help struggling, kicking at his legs and pulling hard against his elbow, trying to buy herself enough slack to slip away. It was too much, pinned down by his powerful body, her vision narrowing and going gray with lack of oxygen, and her primal need to _ survive _made her fight the very situation she’d purposefully put herself into.

Distantly, she heard Jay cursing, and heard several spray canisters going off. They had to be right beside her head, but they sounded blocks away. Bruce growled, his outrage vibrating through her body, and Talia arched her back wildly, all conscious thought gone before the need to escape. That last desperate effort managed to overturn them both, though not break his grip, and she clawed futilely as his gauntleted arm as the darkness closed in.


	41. Chapter 41

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter turned out rather short, so I'll be posting 42 tomorrow.

Jay saw what Talia meant to do, and tried to stop her. But like the Alpha she was, she bulled ahead anyway, and let Bruce strangle her.

He’d always thought Joker was his worst nightmare. _ This _ was, watching Talia’s eyes glaze in panic she couldn’t control. He swore pungently, readying his knockout gas. Dick was there first, trying to grab Bruce’s arm to pry him away, and Jay shoved his way in to empty the sedative spray right up Bruce’s nose. “Forget it, just blast him!” he yelled to Dick. Their best chance of getting Talia loose was to knock Bruce out.

Bruce snarled at them, his teeth bared, and Cass was there, spraying him in the mouth. He tried to turn away, but he couldn’t manage it without relinquishing his hold on Talia. She was struggling desperately, kicking at him, but Bruce overwhelmed her almost too easily. He was Jay’s weight, and with rut and adrenaline coursing through his body, he was stronger than any of them.

Jay had been so certain that Bruce wouldn’t kill, not even in this state, but one look at him and he began to doubt. He seemed _ gone_, nobody home but primal instincts. That couldn’t be entirely true, he had the wit to evade them, and the moment Selina shied away, he’d turned to leave. Not to mention, he hadn’t raised a hand to Talia until she’d struck him first. Jay had to hope the man he’d admired, loved, and hated was still in there, because they were running out of time.

Tim sprayed him in the face, Bruce ducked against Talia’s hair, and she bucked convulsively, throwing them both over. That meant Tim’s dose of sedative was lost, but Jay saw her eyes rolling back and terror woke in his chest. He tried to get his other canister in, Dick was beside him trying to do the same, Steph had gotten to her feet but there was no _ room_. Tim tried to jam his staff against Bruce’s elbow to force him to let go.

Selina, who of all of them had the most reason to avoid getting into the middle of a fight between Alphas, sank her diamond-tipped claws into the cowl and yanked Bruce’s head back. His eyes went wide, and Selina sprayed him, right up the nose just like Jay had. That made him cough, and his grip loosened, just a little.

Just enough. Tim wrenched at his arm, Dick grabbed his wrist, and Jay managed to yank Talia away. She lolled bonelessly in his grip, the whites of her eyes showing, and fear froze Jay for long painful seconds.

Then Talia gasped, and he groaned in relief, “Fucking _ hell_, don’t ever do that shit again!”

She pulled away from him at first, and Jay let her go, checking the rest. Bruce was down, finally, Tim and Cass wrapping him up in multiple cuffs. Meanwhile Dick had come over, and he reached out to steady Talia. She lashed out at him, and Jay hurried to settle her down.

At least it was over. They had Bruce; now they could find a cure.


	42. Chapter 42

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry, I promised to post on Saturday, but things were just too hectic. So you're getting the extra chapter today, and then we'll be back to normal posting on Tuesday and Friday.

The next thing Talia knew, she was on her feet, breathing in great tearing useless gasps - it wasn’t her windpipe that had been closed, but her body screamed for air, and she gulped at Gotham’s smoggy night as if it were the sweetest, most precious breeze. Someone touched her arm and she struck out blindly, hearing a noise of pain, then strong arms were around her again. She snarled bitterly, seizing a wrist and ready to break it to escape, but then Jay’s scent came to her nose and she quieted. “Easy, Talia, you’re okay, we got him,” he was saying, and gradually she calmed enough to subside. She blinked, forcing her eyes to focus.

Bruce was out cold, thoroughly trussed, and Richard was looking at her in frank amazement. “That was either the bravest thing I’ve ever seen, or the craziest,” he told her. He was the one she’d struck at, she realized, but it couldn’t have been too serious.

“Both,” Jay said, and gave Talia a little shake. He kept holding onto her, knowing her legs were shaky after being throttled unconscious, also knowing she didn’t want them to see her vulnerable.

“Agreed,” said Barbara’s voice in her ear. “The Batwing will be there in two minutes. Stay on him - we don’t know how fast this will clear his system.”

Talia pulled away from Jay, and he let her go this time. It was Selina who looked up and met her eyes worriedly. “You okay?”

Another breath, and Talia said quietly, “I will be.” Her voice was low and husky, roughened by rut that Bruce’s scent had woken in her and raspy from being throttled. She kept herself downwind of Bruce, so he wouldn’t smell her and force himself awake.

“I can’t believe we actually caught him,” Stephanie said shakily.

“This is only the first step,” Richard warned. “We still have to figure out how to reverse this. And keep him contained the whole time.”

“You’ll figure it out,” Jay said.

Talia looked down at Bruce, thoroughly bound and finally relaxing in sleep. Now, when it was over and done, the memories she’d been worried about distracting her in battle rose up in her mind. She remembered lying beside him, watching those stern features soften, running her fingers over his broad chest, loving him so much her heart wanted to beat right out of her body. All of that was in the past, but she knew she’d risked her life to save him - and would do it again, despite the terror of being strangled.

The Batwing arrived above them, and Richard stood up. “Selina, you want to ride back in the jet with me? Your scent will keep him calm.”

“Sure. We can load the bikes on the jet, right?” she said, and Talia saw her own expression on the Cat’s face, love and concern. An old ghost of jealousy tried to surface, but it was only a vapor, the memory of what she once thought she should feel. Her true heart was only glad that Bruce was loved as he deserved to be. 

Their work here was mostly done. Talia looked over at Jay, and he smiled. “Good work, T. Don’t ever do that again, though. You scared the hell out of me.”

She managed to return the smile. “I promise not to let myself get throttled any time soon. It’s decidedly unpleasant.”

He scoffed at her, shaking his head. “C’mon, let’s take the Batmobile back to the Manor. We’re basically done here.”

Richard paused, and said, “You don’t have to be.”

Talia turned to look at him in astonishment, and so did Jay. So did Timothy. Barbara spoke in all of their ears. “Your perspective, as an Alpha, may be useful in figuring out what was done to him and how to reverse it. Our doctor already has several hypotheses to test, but if you can stay, we’d appreciate it.”

Talia looked at Jay, both of them thinking of Khairah. “I cannot stay long,” she said at last. “A few days, perhaps, but Jason and I have other obligations, and will need to return to our hotel tonight. I’ll stay in town until we find the culprits.”

Richard frowned a little. “I’d be a lot more relaxed if I knew who else you brought with you,” he said, with an air of admitting weakness.

“I’m sure you would be, but I prefer not to divulge that,” Talia replied. Jay looked at her curiously, and she just shook her head. They could likely trust him, but she didn’t relish the prospect of explaining Khairah’s existence. He would ask far too many questions, the answers to which he hadn’t earned.

Jay was content for once to follow her lead, and Richard didn’t try to push the issue. All of them headed back to the Manor via their various separate ways.


	43. Chapter 43

Bruce had started waking up by the time they got him to the Batcave. Doctor Leslie Tompkins was waiting for them, along with Alfred, and she wasted no time giving him another shot of sedatives. “I can’t believe he’s throwing it off that fast,” Steph said worriedly.

Jay was in the medical suite too, though Talia had headed off immediately. The last thing Bruce needed right now was to scent another Alpha, and he figured Talia was going to update Khairah while she had some privacy. He looked over at Steph with a slight smile. “Alphas have a faster metabolism, especially in rut. I’m assuming the Doc has plans to keep him under?”

“Just keep him quiet long enough for me to get an IV in,” she said, and then added with a wry glance, “Welcome back to Gotham, Jay.”

“Good to see you, but hate the circumstances,” he replied. 

When Doc Leslie tried to remove the gauntlets to expose his forearm, Bruce began to struggle. Cass came up and held his arm, and Selina stood by his head, stroking his cheek. “Hey, Bruce, settle down,” she murmured. “We’re here to help.”

“Keep talking. Your scent and voice should help calm him,” Doc Leslie said, and with Alfred’s assistance she took some blood, then got an IV running. Only then did they set about examining their patient.

Jay felt a little weird about hanging around as they stripped the Batsuit off him, but as soon as he saw the bruises underneath, he was more concerned than anything else. “Damn, he’s really taken a beating out there.”

Dick pulled a sheet over him for privacy, but frowned at the contusions on his side. “I hope those ribs aren’t broken.”

“Me too,” Leslie sighed, and listened to his lungs, then his heart. “Lungs are clear, but his heart rate’s high. O2 sat and pressure?”

Alfred had already clipped a pulse oximeter to Bruce’s finger, and he passed Leslie a blood pressure cuff. The readings made both of them frown. “His oxygen saturation is fine, but his blood pressure is much too high,” Alfred said worriedly.

Leslie turned to her kit and found a vial of medicine, injecting a dose into the IV. “We’ll get it down. A stroke would only make him more insufferable.”

“Otherwise, though, he seems all right,” Dick said at last. “His injuries are minor, and there’s nothing off-the-charts wrong, not that I can see, anyway.”

“Just a little dehydrated, and I bet he hasn’t eaten properly in days,” Leslie mused. “According to the Arkham notes, their patients can feed themselves. Once I run some fluids in, we can go ahead and put him into the secure room, take the IV out, and let him wake up.”

“You’re gonna have fun getting any more drugs into him if you let him wake up,” Jay warned. “Unless you plan to use darts or something. And he’s gonna be trying to get out. Whether or not he’s in rut, he’s still _ Bruce_, and I doubt he would build a cell he couldn’t escape from.”

Tim nodded. “Of course. Hopefully we can outguess him. Cass, help me go over the secure room?” The two of them trotted off to prepare the room, trying to find any failsafes Bruce had built in.

“Let me run a couple of quick tests before we wake him. I need to get these samples spun out and prepped,” Leslie said, with a glance at Alfred. “Have you got him for now?”

The butler dabbed at Bruce’s brow with a cool, damp cloth. “If he starts to wake, we’ll call you.”

Dick nodded. “Jay, stay here. We might need your muscle mass to hold him down.”

Jay put a cautious hand on Bruce’s forearm. “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that, okay? I’m not in any hurry for a repeat of that fight on the rooftop.”

“No one is,” Dick replied grimly.

Steph spoke up then. “He didn’t hit me. Even after I sprayed him, he threw me off, but he didn’t hit me.”

“And he backed off when I startled,” Selina mused. She ran her fingers through his sweat-matted hair tenderly. 

“You and Talia were right,” Dick admitted.

“That doesn’t mean he’s safe to be around,” Jay replied. “This isn’t normal rut. And he’s been suppressed his whole life, so he’s got no coping skills. I’d bet my life that he wouldn’t hurt one of us as long as we didn’t force him to, but he’s still not compos mentis enough to tell us what happened. Even in the thick of rut, Talia can still be reasoned with - I don’t think he can.”

“We will restore him,” Alfred said with quiet insistence. “I did advise him not to suppress himself continuously. Alas, he insisted on doing everything possible to remain in control.”

Jay scoffed quietly. “Talia’s the opposite, for kinda the same reason. She doesn’t take hormonal suppressants so she won’t ever be caught out, if they fail. She’d rather fight her way through rut every other week than rely on the drugs. Plus suppressants wreck her nose.”

Steph looked speculative. “Man, maybe it’s a good thing they broke up. Two controlling personalities in a relationship is hard to manage.”

“Good for us, anyway,” Jay said with a grin for Selina. 

She smiled right back at him. “Sometimes it can be worth it, teaching them what they _ can’t _ control.”

“Amen to that,” Jay chuckled. And then turned back to Steph; the calm conversation would be better than silence, if Bruce did wake. “Don’t tell me _ you’re _ a control freak too.”

“I put on armor and beat up bad guys, what else could I be?” she said with a shrug. “Seriously, though, compared to Tim and Cass, I’m way chill. They’re even worse than Bruce, sometimes.”

Jay blinked. “Tim’s dating _ Cass_? I thought you and him were a thing.”

She smirked, and Selina chuckled. “We still are,” Steph enlightened him, her eyes dancing with mirth. “It’s just me and Cass are a _ thing_, too. More v-formation than an actual triangle, for now, but who knows, it might go there.”

Everyone was waiting to see if Jay would be shocked, so he just held up a hand for a high-five. “Atta girl, Spoiler. Go get ‘em.”

Leslie returned then. “He’s a little hypoglycemic. Let me give him some dextrose.”

Jay was sure he’d wake at that, Leslie sliding a little tube along his cheek and trickling glucose gel into his mouth, but Bruce never stirred. Tim and Cass came back, too, and she held up a small electronic device. “He had an EMP grenade hidden in the wall,” Tim said irritably. “That’s all we found, but we’d better keep him under surveillance.”

“All right,” Dick said. “Doc, if you’re done, let’s go ahead and put him in the secure room.”

Bruce began stirring as Dick and Jay transferred him to the bed, and they hustled out quickly. Just in time, too, as he was sitting up glaring at them by the time they got the magnetic locks engaged. Selina stopped at the door, her hand on the clear acrylic polymer. “It’s only until we can fix whatever they did to you,” she explained, but his eyes showed no comprehension.

Instead Bruce stood up and began pacing the cell, which made everyone avert their eyes as the sheet dropped unnoticed to the floor. “I shall fetch some clothing,” Alfred said, dignified.

Something occurred to Jay, and he said, “Hey, Selina, get a shirt or a bathrobe or something you’ve worn, and let Alfred give that to him with his own clothes. Having your scent around should help him.”

“Smart,” Dick said with a decisive nod. “Let’s go, people. Babs can monitor him via the cam feeds, and he won’t be as restless if he can’t see us.”

Jay had been locked in the same cell less than twenty-four hours ago, and he remembered how his gut had tightened at the feeling of being stared at like a zoo animal. He looked at Bruce with uneasy compassion, then turned to go.


	44. Chapter 44

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope all of you who celebrate it had a very merry Christmas. And for everyone, I hope the closing of the year brings you joy.

Talia had intended to call Khairah, but she made a detour when she saw light spilling from the part of the Batcave where the massive computer resided. She strolled that way, unsurprised to find Barbara seated in front of the screens. “Any new data?” she asked.

The redhead turned sharply, monitor light reflecting off her glasses, but she subsided when she realized who had approached her. “Not yet. Dad’s looking into the case for me, and I expect an update soon. I went looking for whatever else I could find, though.”

“Knowing you, that’s not a trivial search,” Talia said, glancing at the displays. Transcripts of text messages, mostly.

Barbara favored her with a fleeting smile. “The coach’s computer is sitting in the evidence room unplugged, and he didn’t sync his accounts, but I was able to get his phone data. Nothing useful in his text messages, and the data I gathered on the numbers he called hasn’t turned up any matches, yet.”

“What about background information?” Talia asked, knowing Barbara had likely sifted through that as well. She was nothing if not thorough. Asking was more a way to let her show off her diligence; Talia found herself wanting to be on good terms with  _ someone _ in this household. Her rapprochement with Richard was still very new.

The redhead obligingly pulled up more data for her. “Nothing unusual. He had a run-in with the police as a juvenile, for a school prank that went too far. Apparently he and some buddies turned three pigs loose on school grounds - numbered 1, 2, and 4 with spray paint on their sides. The administration spent two days searching for the nonexistent number 3 before one of the kids confessed. Everyone involved had to pay restitution.”

Talia scoffed a little at the prank - clever of them to number the animals like that, but she doubted they understood the damage such livestock could cause. Something caught her eye in the images that appeared on the screen, and she nodded to it. “What’s that? A college photo?”

Seeing which one she indicated, Barbara made the photo larger. “He belonged to a fraternity, Alpha Lambda Epsilon. Not exactly a scholarly organization.” A few more clicks, and the screens were filled with images of young men and a few rather masculine women, all of them drinking and playing sports. Several photos had banners with the fraternity’s name on them, or the words ‘FRAT PACK!!’ accompanied by poorly-drawn animals that Talia supposed were meant to be wolves. They looked more like dogs to her, misshapen mongrels.

Meanwhile Barbara continued, “The fraternity has some complaints against it, though nothing names our coach directly. Typical frat nonsense, more vandalism, underage drinking, and excessive hazing of new pledges. Nothing exceptional. Although, for a frat that only accepts Alphas, they really lean into the wolf pack imagery.”

Talia scowled. “More dogs than wolves, from what I see. Wolves at least have some nobility.”

“Nothing wrong with a good dog,” Barbara countered. “At least, actual dogs. They need training, of course, but I’ve never understood why ‘dog’ is used as an insult.”

“They are not clean,” Talia said, and Barbara looked up at her curiously. “Dogs will eat anything - garbage, waste, their own vomit. Arabic culture disdains them for much the same reason we don’t eat pork. That is why we don’t share your terminology. Bruce might think of you as his pack; if forced to animal analogies, I would say ‘pride’, as of lions.”

Barbara nodded. “Bruce has never particularly followed that line of thinking. As far as he’s concerned, we’re a team.”

“Or a flock, as of bats,” Talia said, gently teasing.

Barbara smiled. “Probably. You need more than two lions to make a pride, though. Don’t you?”

Talia leaned against the desk, looking at her shrewdly. “I have my hands full managing one relationship, thank you. I don’t need a crowded household.”

“You and Jay aren’t here alone,” Barbara countered. “And you’re terribly protective of whoever that third person is.”

“Yes. I am.” Talia’s tone made it clear that she would not rise to the bait.

After a moment, Barbara nodded. “There’s another collective noun that applies here, even if we tend to skew the definition a little.  _ Family _ . Bruce would be glad to know you’re watching over his children while he can’t.”

“Would he?” Talia challenged. “He seemed quite displeased by how I chose to care for his second son.”

“His ex is sleeping with his son. I can see why he has issues with that,” Barbara said with a shrug. “Personally, I don’t give a damn. It’s very plain that you care about each other, and despite that argument earlier, you both seem happy. What more could anyone want?”

“Jason misses his family,” Talia said, in a low voice. “He misses this miserable city, too, because it is  _ home _ . For years, he’s avoided both, because of me. I know too well what else a man wants, besides a fulfilling relationship. I lost one lover to Gotham already. I don’t relish the reminder that I might lose another.”

“You’re not the one keeping him from Gotham,” Barbara replied. “Jay stayed away because he didn’t want to confront Bruce or Dick, or deal with Tim. Dick’s starting to come around, Tim’s over it, and Bruce is going to owe you one when this over. You risked your life to save him.”

Talia sighed. “I could not have done otherwise. It isn’t his fault, that he would believe less of me; I haven’t always been trustworthy.”

“People change. That’s why he does things the way he does, in the hope that even the worst of them out there can choose redemption. If he doesn’t see it in you, it’s because you’re too close for him to be objective.” Barbara spoke almost off-handedly, but it didn’t lessen the truth of her words.

Resting a hand on the back of her chair for a moment, Talia admitted, “Your clarity of mind is always welcome. Perhaps Jay isn’t the only one who misses Gotham.”

Barbara smiled crookedly. “You always did make things interesting.”

Just then, the rest of the family made their way over to the computer, led by Dr. Tompkins. “There you are,” she said, approaching Talia. “Could you do us a favor? I need some baseline levels for a healthy, unsuppressed Alpha. There’s published data, but those are averages. You’re a better match for Bruce’s lifestyle and fitness level.”

“Of course,” Talia replied, and was bemused to find that the doctor was prepared to take samples right then. Talia sat down in the office chair that was normally in front of the computer, and let Dr. Tompkins draw several vials of blood, along with her other vital signs. Jay came to stand behind her, unobtrusively guarding her back.

When Dr. Leslie said the values aloud as she wrote them down, Stephanie interjected with a grin, “That’s a HIPAA violation, Doc Leslie.”

“You all sat around watching me draw blood, that makes you fellow practitioners involved in the same case,” the doctor replied, her tone playful. She turned back to Talia then, and asked, “Are those normal values for you?”

“My blood pressure is typically ten points lower,” Talia told her. “It’s stress. A good night’s sleep would cure it.”

Dr. Tompkins nodded. “Thank you. I’m going to run these samples and compare everything. Barbara, you’re monitoring Bruce?”

“Yes,” the redhead told her. She clicked on a window that showed the sensors designed to detect a breach in cell integrity, then brought up another that showed a view of the cell. Bruce had stopped pacing, curling up on the bed with one of Selina’s shirts under his head for a pillow.

Dr. Tompkins nodded. “Hopefully I’ll have some answers tomorrow.”

Talia looked at the image, feeling an unexpected wave of pity for the man she’d once loved. Jay must’ve felt it, too, because he put his hand on her shoulder. “He’s one step closer to being all right again,” Jay pointed out. “At least we got him off the street.”

“What will you do, if you cannot cure him?” Talia asked softly.

Dr. Leslie looked surprised. “I won’t accept failure. We’re going to keep trying until we  _ do _ cure him.”

Looking up at Jay, Talia didn’t need to say what was on her mind: she would prefer death, to life in a cage. He just squeezed her shoulder gently. “Hope for the best, babe.”

“Usually that’s my line,” Stephanie said. “Minus the babe part.”

That got a much-needed chuckle, and Grayson sighed, raking a hand through his hair. “You two can stay here tonight, if you want. Is it really that urgent that you get back to whoever’s waiting for you?”

“Yes,” Talia told him levelly. “I shouldn’t have left her alone this long. I do appreciate the offer, Richard.”

She saw him perk up a little at the pronoun, a tiny scrap of data but still the first detail she’d revealed, and shook her head.  _ Detectives. _ Behind her, Jay stretched. “C’mon, let’s change back to plainclothes and hit the road. At least Blüdhaven’s closer than Metropolis. We can come back in time for dinner tomorrow - or call us, if there’s any new developments.”

“Will do,” Barbara said.


	45. Chapter 45

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of family fluff in this chapter - things will pick up again shortly. I hope that all of you have a happy and safe New Year. <3

Talia drove, and Jay lounged in the passenger seat. They were getting close to the new hotel when he decided it was better to speak now, than just let it ride. “Hey, T. I meant that about not letting yourself get killed, y’know. Just … yeah, it worked this time, but I’m not sure he would’ve stopped.”

She was quiet for a moment before replying, “He might not have. I … have had some reason to doubt my own assurances, as well. I would’ve said I could never strike you in anger.”

Jay scoffed, rolling his eyes. “Fucking hell, you want me to pop you in the mouth or something so we’re even? I said we’re cool, so let it go. The guilt-train is Bruce’s thing.”

She reached for his hand, keeping her eyes on the road, and he laced his fingers through hers. “I’m not trying to belabor that point. It’s just that I had thought myself incapable of it - and now I know I was wrong.”

Jay squeezed her fingers lightly. “Oh for fuck’s sake… It’s not like you’re a freakin’ _ wife-beater _ or something, Talia. I’ve known since I met you that there are some things you can’t take graciously. And what I said to you was pretty fucking stupid. _ Anybody _ will swing, if provoked enough. It’s not like I’d let you do it again. You’re not Joker, but I’m not Harley, either. You’re not that kind of asshole, and I’m not making excuses for you.”

She curled her lip at that. “Joker was far more than the typical domestic abuser, and you were always more wary than Harleen. Saner, too.”

“That’s debatable,” Jay chuckled. At least making _ that _ comparison would probably stop the cycle of self-recrimination for a while. Talia was many things, but she valued honor and order, and if anything she had too much empathy. Joker valued only his own amusement, and his lack of empathy was clinical.

Jay watched Talia’s face as she drove, her brow furrowed in thought. “Perhaps … Bruce might’ve let me go if I’d stopped fighting him. He was reacting to blatant provocation. If I’d surrendered, he might’ve relented. I was still fighting, even as I lost consciousness, and you were all fighting him as well.”

“Could be,” Jay said. “Hopefully we’ll never have a chance to test that. Doc Leslie seems pretty confident she can reverse this.”

They reached the hotel then, so Talia just nodded in reply, taking her hand back to downshift for the turn. Jay glanced at the new hotel, a typical high-end chain. They could expect comfort and decent security, and he let himself relax.

Because Talia had her keycard, they parked in the back and used the rear entrance, closer to the room. Talia always got a room near an unobtrusive exit. The moment they walked in, though, she sneezed.

Jay’s nose was nowhere near as sensitive as hers, but he scowled at the cloying odor of some kind of flowers overlaid on a chemical scent. “Damn, that’s strong!”

Talia winced. “Khairah mentioned this - it’s much worse than I thought. Let’s get to the room before I suffocate.” She hurried to the elevator, Jay trailing her and wondering why _ any _ hotel would use such a strong scent in their cleaning supplies.

They were on the fifth floor, and the floral smell was there, too, near the back stairwell. Talia sneezed again, and to Jay’s alarm she couldn’t stop. He took the keycard from her and rushed them into the room, where Khairah jumped up from the bed at the next explosive sneeze. Jay hurried to shut the door as the girl started coughing, too. “Holy fuck, what _ is _ that crap?” he exclaimed.

Talia fled into the bathroom, dumped her gun on the counter, turned on the shower, and stuck her face under the spray. She swore when the cold water hit, but apparently it knocked down the odor a little. Meanwhile Jay turned to Khairah, who’d covered her mouth and nose with her sleeve, still coughing. “You gonna be okay?” he asked, and she nodded.

He decided to treat this like smoke, and grabbed a towel, wetting it in the sink. Jay rolled it up and stuffed it along the bottom of the door, listening to Talia still coughing and sneezing in the shower. He went to her side, wanting to help, just in time to see her cup her hands full of water and press them to her face. She inhaled through her nose, and the next sneeze was galvanic - but at least it got all of the scent out of her sinuses.

At the cost of her makeup, and probably her blouse. Talia turned to look at him, mascara running down her face, her hair plastered to her head by the shower spray, and _ growled_. “This is ridiculous. The head of housekeeping ought to be fired.”

“Is it an allergic reaction?” Jay asked, worried. They had encountered strong odors before, but he’d never seen Talia react so abruptly.

She turned off the water and stepped out, taking a towel to wipe her face. “I don’t think so. It’s just incredibly pungent. See to Khairah?”

He went out to check on her again, but Khairah was only coughing a little. “I told her about that,” she complained. “The staff here should know better.”

“Yeah, they should,” Jay said, patting her shoulder. “You didn’t get too much of it, this time, looks like.”

Talia came out of the bathroom then, stripping off her blouse unselfconsciously. Their room was actually a suite, but she went to the phone in the living area and dialed the front desk as she wrung water from the fabric. Jay winced, able to spare some pity for whatever clerk answered her in this mood. At the least the line was picked up promptly.

“I hope you can help me,” Talia said, her temper barely leashed. “There’s a strong odor in the rear hallway on the fifth floor, and near the rear entrance. It honestly smells as if a gallon of cleaning fluid were spilled down the stairway. My daughter and I are both having sinus problems because of it.”

He couldn’t hear the reply, but Jay could imagine it. Fawning promises to do something immediately, and Talia eventually said, “See that you do,” and hung up the phone. She stood glaring at the phone, her expression thunderous, and he sensed Khairah tensing.

So Jay set out to defuse it, as always. He grinned at Talia, and said, “Now I understand that old saying about ‘madder than a wet hen’. I bet that guy is terrified of pissing you off worse.”

She looked at him in disbelief, the effect only slightly dimmed by her disheveled hair and smeared makeup, and Khairah couldn’t help giggling at the sight. With that, Talia sighed and tossed her shirt at him. “I’m already putting up with ‘babe’. Do _ not _ compare me to a chicken, Jason.”

He caught the blouse, and shook it out. “You put the fear of _ you _ into the staff. They’ll get right on it. And hey, the blouse might be all right. At least your gun didn’t get wet.”

“I wouldn’t be that careless,” she muttered, and took off her shoulder holster to let it dry. Jay went into the bathroom to retrieve her gun, and she took it with her into one of the two bedrooms.

Khairah had stopped coughing, just looking woefully at Jay. He reached out to rumple her hair. “You tried to warn us. You did your best.”

“I’m glad you’re all right,” she said, smiling even though she pushed his hand away. “The way you both talked about these people, I was worried.”

He sat down on the couch beside her. “Yeah, well … it does hurt, going back. Seeing everyone from before. But we went a long way toward fixing things. Even Nightwing unbent a little, and he’s never liked your sire. And we caught Batman, which is an achievement. They’re good people. Just maybe a little _ too _ good, sometimes.”

Khairah arched a brow at him in a dubious expression very much like Talia’s. “I thought you were good people, too.”

“Yeah, but we’re more practical. And you can’t always claim the moral high ground with blood on your hands,” Jay said with a fatalistic shrug. “_You’re _ safe. That’s what matters most, to her and me.”

Talia came out of the bedroom then, in a new blouse, her gun evidently left under the pillow. Jay knew she still had at least two knives on her, though. The phone rang, and she answered it brusquely with just their room number. She listened, her expression disbelieving, and finally said, “Thank you. We appreciate it.”

As she hung up, Jay asked the obvious question. “What’s their excuse?”

“According to the manager, it wasn’t them,” Talia said, crossing the room to take the seat on the other side of Khairah. Her eyes were thoughtful. “He assured me that his staff uses only odor-neutral cleansers, and he personally checked the maids’ carts, finding nothing out of the ordinary. But there _ was _ a strong odor, and he’s having fans set out to disperse it and a filtration unit placed on our floor. He thinks it might have been another guest.”

“That didn’t smell like perfume,” Jay said, frowning.

“I first scented it after the maids came through this morning,” Khairah added. “That’s why I thought it was them.”

Talia shrugged. “Perhaps it was, and whoever used it was smart enough to hide the bottle when they realized a guest complained. It’s odd, certainly.”

“Should we switch hotels?” Jay asked.

Talia frowned. “I don’t like moving around unnecessarily. It gives the kidnappers more chances to strike our trail. This place has good security, and the maids ought to be chastened now.”

“Even if they use it again, I can put a towel under the door,” Khairah said. “I’ll be fine. But how long are we staying?”

“The Bats’ doctor wants to consult with Talia,” Jay said. “She figures another Alpha’s perspective might help. So we’re going back tomorrow, sometime.”

Khairah nodded. “Am I going with you?”

Talia looked across her at Jay. “I … no, not yet. I want to believe that all would be well. But with Br-_Batman _ still in this feral state, I’d much rather keep you safely away. Perhaps before we leave the city.”

“All right,” Khairah said, deflating a little.

Jay wanted to cheer her up, and said, “Hey, it’s still pretty early, and we napped. Wanna catch a movie?”

She did perk up at that. “They have a wide selection, but most of them required payment.”

He looked across at Talia and gave her a crooked grin, thinking about their argument over the source of their money. She smiled at him sadly. “Why not? It cannot be too expensive. And the funds are there.”

They ended up watching a drama, which Jay followed intently. But as the end credits rolled, he looked over to see that Khairah had been more tired than she let on. Despite her initial enthusiasm, she’d fallen asleep leaning on Talia’s shoulder.

And his fierce, deadly Alpha, the Demon whose name woke dread in so many hearts, was half-asleep herself, her arm around her daughter’s shoulders, nose buried in the girl’s hair. Jay’s heart clenched a little at the charming sight, and he carefully slipped his phone out to take a picture. Talia’s eyes opened just after he snapped it, and she looked at him narrowly.

Jay just smiled. “I’m gonna send that to Hadiyah with a note that you two are finally getting along a little bit.”

“She is my daughter,” Talia said quietly, unaware that Khairah’s eyes had opened drowsily. “I would make certain to get along with her, regardless. That she’s smart, and charming, and so much like _ me _ it hurts, only makes loving her easier.”

Khairah had heard it, he was sure, but she pretended to remain asleep, so Jay just chuckled. “Yeah, she’s also up past her bedtime. Lemme get the kid, and we’ll stumble off to bed ourselves.” 

It was easy to scoop Khairah up and carry her to her bedroom, and Jay thought she would’ve admitted to being awake once they were out of earshot. She opted to feign sleep instead, so he laid her on the bed and kissed her forehead. “Nighty-night, kidlet.”

That finally got a reaction, Khairah glaring up at him. Then she broke into a teasing smile. “Good night … _ Mom_.”

Jay laughed his way out of the room.


	46. Chapter 46

Talia woke early, with Jay wrapped around her, and took a moment to revel in his presence. Only then did she reach for her phone, and check her messages. Sure enough, there was one from a number she didn’t know, with a note to call the Roost.

She sat up for that, and dialed the Manor, waiting anxiously for the line to be answered. Alfred’s voice met her ears, and she relaxed just hearing his accent. “Good morning, Alfred,” Talia said. “What news?”

“Hopeful news,” he said. “Let me refer you to Miss Barbara. She has more specifics, I believe.”

“By all means,” Talia said, and waited a moment.

“Morning, Talia,” Barbara said as she came on the line. “Two bits of news. One, my father came through with the names on the coach’s sealed indictment. None of them have turned up anything yet - no one we recognize - so this may be a new player. We’re reviewing the parents individually to see who might have the means to cause something like this.”

“At least it is progress,” Talia said, as Jay woke up beside her. He yawned and stretched, and she reached out to stroke his shoulder. 

“The better news is, Doc Leslie noticed that Bruce’s blood tests were really skewed. He seems to be reacting to some kind of toxin that made his body produce huge amounts of cortisol, testosterone, and adrenaline. Whatever the original toxin exposure was, it should’ve been metabolized by now, but for some reason the effects are ongoing. She’s got a treatment protocol started, and with Selina there, he sat still for the first set of shots. We haven’t seen results yet, but she’s hopeful enough that she sent the protocol to Arkham.”

Talia sighed with relief, leaning back against Jay as he sat up. “That is  _ excellent _ news. I look forward to seeing him well again.”

A pause, and then Barbara asked, “Would you mind coming back over? Doc Leslie said your test results were high, compared to the published averages, and she wants to see what the values are on a day when you haven’t just been in a fight. Also, Alfred’s doing a celebratory lunch.”

Jay had been listening in, and chuckled. “Sure, if it’s fine with you. Me, I’d never turn down Alfred’s cooking.”

“Of course,” Talia replied. “Let me take care of a few things here, and we’ll both head over.”

“Your mysterious third party is invited, too,” Barbara said archly.

“And will not be attending,” Talia replied. “There are parts of my life in which you need not be involved.”

“Just making the offer,” Barbara said.

They hung up, and Talia turned to Jay. “They are relentless.”

“They’re Bats. It’s the whole detective schtick.” He kissed her shoulder, wrapping both arms around her, and Talia hugged him back for a long, warm moment.

She couldn’t stay in bed forever, though. Talia got up and ordered room service for all of them, then headed for the shower. Jay woke Khairah with the promise of breakfast, and then followed Talia into the shower. “We don’t have time,” she warned, as he pulled off the shirt he’d slept in. “And Khairah will hear.”

“I’m just being green. Save water, shower with a friend,” Jay said, his tone earnest, but there was a sparkle in his eye. Talia let him join her, and chuckled as he stole the shampoo. There really wasn’t time for more than a few ‘accidental’ caresses, but at least they had restraint enough that Khairah would only hear playful laughter.

They had a leisurely breakfast, then visited the hotel’s rather inadequate gym for an hour, glad to note that no strong odors assaulted their noses on the way down. Afterward Talia checked her email and took care of what business she could handle remotely, while Jay and Khairah took up sparring practice in the room’s living area. It seemed more like playful roughhousing to Talia, but she couldn’t begrudge them. Without a proper salle to train in, or mats on the floor, they were mostly just keeping in condition.

By noon, she and Jay had to head out for the Manor. Talia ran a hand through Khairah’s hair on her way to the door, remembering last night’s peaceful camaraderie. “Stay in the room, and get yourself room service for lunch,” Talia told her. Khairah nodded, and  _ almost  _ rolled her eyes at the repeated instruction. With a flash of inspiration, Talia added, “We’ll be back for dinner. Check the restaurant options in the area and see if there’s anything you’d like.”

That perked her up, and she waved them off happily. In the elevator, Jay smirked at her. “That’s smooth, put the kid in charge of picking dinner so she has something to do while we’re gone. And feels some responsibility.”

Talia looked over at him with a rueful smile. “I find myself having to think four or five steps ahead. It’s not enough to simply take care of her, I’m supposed to be teaching her how to be an Alpha - and I’m so used to  _ being _ one I’ve forgotten how it felt to be that young and hungry for a challenge.”

“You’re doing good, T,” he assured her. She gave him the keys and let him drive, looking out the window pensively. Jay reached out to pat her knee, and added, “She’s a good kid, and you’re a good sire. It’ll be fine.”

“I don’t think we can say whether or not I make a good sire until she’s twenty or so,” Talia replied with a small smile.

“You will be. You wouldn’t let yourself be anything else,” Jay said firmly.

A comfortable silence reigned the rest of the way to the Manor. The gates opened as they pulled in, and Jay parked in the circular drive. Alfred met them at the door just as graciously as before, and this time only Barbara and Dr. Tompkins were waiting inside, instead of the whole lineup. “How’s Bruce?” Jay asked, before they could even greet him.

“Sleeping,” Barbara said, glancing at the tablet she carried. “He was up pacing much of the night, but he seems to be settling down.”

“Have you had any luck isolating the cause of all this?” Talia asked, looking at Dr. Tompkins. All of them began to walk toward the kitchen.

The older woman scowled. “Not yet. I  _ think _ treating it like toxic exposure is working. The reaction he’s having is almost like an autoimmune response; the initial toxin triggered it, and now his body is perpetuating it. We need to calm things down, so I’m administering steroids in an immunosuppressive dose.”

“ _ Steroids? _ ” Jay asked, his eyes wide. “Holy crap, who would ever think of giving steroids to an Alpha in rut?”

“I feel like a homeopath,” Dr. Tompkins complained. “But it appears to be working, so far. He said Selina’s name when we went in to give him another dose just now.”

“The others in Arkham are non-verbal,” Talia clarified.

Dr. Tompkins nodded. “They’ll growl, but that’s about it. I updated the Arkham team as well. Listen, I don’t mean to impose, but I’d like to get your blood sample while you’re relaxed as possible. Which means before you have to see Dick. Is that all right?”

Talia chuckled at that. “We did manage a civil conversation yesterday. But if you prefer, yes, you may draw your samples now.”

Dr. Tompkins detoured into a parlor, where her supplies were set up, and less than five minutes later she was applying a bandage to the crook of Talia’s elbow. “Thank you - I’m going to run this downstairs, then I’ll meet you all in the kitchen.”

Babs led the way, though Jay and Talia both knew it. The rest were in the kitchen, and Dick was checking the oven. He gave a slightly guilty start when Alfred returned from the pantry and saw him. “Five more minutes, I think,” Dick said.

Talia sniffed appreciatively. “Coq au vin? Alfred, you’ll spoil us.”

Beside her, Jay chuckled, “Yeah, don’t you know if you feed strays, they never leave?”

“Perhaps that was my intent,” Alfred said archly.

Talia had been a little tense, given how yesterday had gone, but as Cass and Tim set the table, it all seemed … comfortable. Like family.


	47. Chapter 47

Dick poured wine for the adults and tea for the teenagers, as Alfred plated the savory chicken, and the first part of lunch was spent wholly absorbed in the food. Talia let herself enjoy it, wishing she’d brought Khairah after all. Although making the introductions would still be awkward… 

“So Jay told me you guys found an Omega sanctuary city,” Dick said in conversational tones. “I remember hearing there was one down in Florida, in the 30s, but I haven’t heard of any since. Is it a secret location, or is this something we can use if we have Omegas in need?”

Talia was surprised by the question, which echoed her line of thought. “I would have to ask their leader,” she replied. “I’ve officially granted my protection, but I have no part in the running of the place.”

“Just looking at who’s there, they seem to be taking Omegas from around the region,” Jay added. “The U.S. might be too far away - and that’s a lot of culture shock. But we’ve got contacts all around.”

Talia nodded agreement. “Our efforts tend to be more international. An anti-trafficking network in India, a free hospital in Morocco, humanitarian efforts in the Balkans. On this continent, there’s an outreach group in Los Angeles, I know of a shelter in Vermont, and a few other scattered groups. Your laws here are strong enough that the need is not quite so dire.”

“Human trafficking is still a big problem,” Stephanie piped up. “You see these ads online, in newspapers, even on the side of the road soliciting models or temporary work, and really they’re a front to kidnap people. There was a big scam here in town a couple years ago, starting from an ad in the paper for a housesitting job.”

“Yeah, but at least the cops are fighting it,” Jay said. “Some places, they’re so outnumbered they can barely stay ahead of the murders, nevermind the other crimes.”

“I would be happy to share our contacts and resources stateside,” Talia said, and saw all of them perk up. “If you run into something that leads to my part of the world, I’d prefer to handle it ourselves.”

“Your part of the world being what, exactly?” Barbara asked, auburn brows arched curiously. “The Middle East, North Africa, Asia Minor?”

“We work in Southeast Asia and Eastern Europe too,” Jay said, grinning. “Call it everything but North America and Western Europe.”

“Sounds like you might as well call it everything outside Gotham,” Selina opined, and Jay just gave her a playful smirk.

Dick paused thoughtfully. “That’s going to be Bruce’s call more than mine. I don’t know how he’ll feel about turning things over - you know he’d rather handle it all personally. It’s still an effort to get him to share the load with _ us_.”

Tim speared one of the mushrooms and said quietly, “If he’s the only one working it, he’s the only one who can take the blame. That’s why he’s like that.”

“And that’s why I’m continually surprised he hasn’t had a heart attack,” Dr. Tompkins said.

“He does need a good swift kick once in a while, to remind him the whole world isn’t his responsibility,” Selina agreed mildly. She looked at Talia and her mouth quirked up in a smile. “Maybe we should bring in the heavy-duty kickers for a change.”

“That would be Jason,” Talia said. “I am too much like Bruce, in that regard. Sometimes Alphas like us need a subtle and wily Omega to show us the error of our ways.”

“Oh yeah, I’m subtle,” Jay laughed. “Watch me rip the sleeves of my t-shirt by flexing my biceps, _ subtly_.”

Dick rolled his eyes at that, but Stephanie sat up and said, “That reminds me. Jay, where do you get your Alpha cologne?”

He looked at her interestedly, and Talia sipped her wine, watching them interact. Stephanie came from much the same background as Jay did, and he recognized that commonality between them. “You wanna play Alpha? Sure, I’ll tell you what brand I’m using, but you’ve gotta back it up with more than scent.”

“Well _ duh_,” the blonde laughed. “I know I need to be working out more, too, so I can get that ripped Alpha bod. But any pointers you have, I’ll take.”

Jay nodded to Talia. “People usually know she’s Alpha long before they get a whiff. You gotta walk like you’re on your way to a board meeting of a Fortune 500 company.”

Stephanie scoffed a little, still smiling. “Yeah, I don’t think I have the acting chops for anything _ that _ far outside my actual life experience. Nobody from Crown Point goes to board meetings.”

“Okay, so walk like you’re on your way to kick someone’s ass,” Jay replied easily. “Head up, shoulders back, pick your destination and don’t get out of people’s way - they ought to move for you. If you look like you’re pissed off most of the time, hell, people expect that in an Alpha.”

She nodded. “That I can do. You grew up in the Bowery; there’s a lot to be angry about.”

Talia took another sip of her wine, just as Jay elaborated, “Just generally take up space. Alphas aren’t demure. When you sit down, sit like you’ve got the biggest dick in the room.”

_ That _ made Timothy blush, Alfred and Dr. Tompkins roll their eyes heavenward, Dick drop his face into his palm with a groan, and all the rest laugh. Talia, meanwhile, nearly choked on her wine, glaring at Jay. “_Must _ you?”

He grinned at her. “Alpha swagger is a thing. If she wants people to think she’s Alpha, she’s gotta act like it.”

She only looked at him. “I was objecting to the language, not the content. Your vulgarity is usually more charming.”

“Just speaking her dialect. But yeah, okay, I’ll watch my language, _ Mom_.” Jay’s eyes sparkled with amusement. With such tactics, he’d largely convinced her to stop trying to ‘correct’ his social graces; Jay had manners when he wanted them, and whether he used them was not hers to decide.

Talia did not often indulge in humor when they were in public; the two of them tried to present a united and very serious front. But among this crowd? Perhaps she could afford a little informality. “I wouldn’t joke, if I were you. I very nearly _ was _ your stepmother.”

“Ohh, burn,” Stephanie laughed. “She wins that round.”

“I always win. Which is a central component of presenting as Alpha - we are all competitive.” Talia regarded her seriously. “He is right, about taking up space. Most women are socialized to be self-effacing. Alpha women cannot be. A lifetime of being treated as second-class Alphas makes us, if anything, more aggressive than the men. If you behave in ways you personally find almost rude, you’ll strike the right note.”

“The hardest thing for me is gonna be the confidence,” Stephanie said. “You have so much of it, maybe you can lend me some.” That was clearly meant playfully, and she smiled.

Talia looked at her, a girl only a year or so older than Khairah, and let herself smile back. “You’d be wrong about that. Very few people are as confident as they appear to be. Over the years I’ve come to the conclusion that most are projecting confidence they don’t actually feel.”

“Except Babs,” Jay teased. “Oracle sees all, Oracle knows all.”

Babs had just speared a bite of chicken, but she looked up with a knowing expression. “Have you ever heard of the Dunning-Kruger effect? The only people who are absolutely confident in their knowledge or skill, are the ones who have the least proficiency. All the experts know how much there is to know, and doubt themselves.”

Steph smirked. “Notice that she didn’t directly admit to _ not _ being omniscient.”

The rest of the meal passed in idle conversation, all of them relaxing in each other’s company. After the last fork was set down, Dick leaned back in his chair. “We need to dive deeper into those names on the coach’s indictment. There’s got to be a clue in there somewhere. Who wants to help?”

“I still remember the names of most of the bad guys’ lieutenants,” Jay offered. “If it’s not something obvious, it might be one of them.”

“I still have plenty of contacts, too,” Selina said.

Stephanie sighed. “Yeah, I’m not gonna be that useful. I’ll help with cleanup first.”

“That won’t be necessary,” Alfred said gently.

Talia saw an opportunity to let the girl ask questions about being Alpha without an audience, and cut in to add, “No, but there is no shame in showing appreciation for your service by helping you. Since I have no contacts in Gotham, I’ll join her.”

Jay looked askance at her. “Talia, in ten years I’ve never _ once _ seen you wash a dish.”

“Because I have servants for that. For ten years, I never thought I’d be standing in this kitchen without several weapons leveled at me. Perhaps it’s time to appreciate the unexpected.” Talia raised an eyebrow, willing him to understand. Jay seemed to catch on.

Dr. Tompkins nodded firmly. “If they’re going to cover for you, Alfred, I’ll steal you to help with the bloodwork. It should be finished running by now.”

Talia stood up, and took Jay’s plate as well as her own over to the sink, a large farmhouse-style affair more suited to a commercial kitchen. Then again, with half a dozen people dining here regularly, it might as well be.

Jay chuckled, and the rest of them moved off to go peruse the data, bringing their plates on the way. Stephanie had clearly done this before, scraping dishes into a container marked ‘compost’ and then plunging them into one half of the deep sink that was rapidly filling with hot soapy water. Whatever detergent Alfred used had a pleasant lemon scent, which masked all other odors, even the rich red wine. “I’ll scrub, you rinse?” Stephanie said, and nodded to the rack on the counter. “Alfred usually sets them to drain for a bit before we dry them.”

“Typically efficient of him,” Talia said. This sink had a large sprayer attachment, with a trigger mounted just behind the sprayer head. She found the water already hot, and set about rinsing and stacking the dishes as Stephanie handed them to her. “For all his vulgarity, Jay was right. Behaving as if you’re the strongest and bravest is typical for an Alpha.”

“Yeah, that’s gonna be hard to fake,” the girl said. “I know what I’m good at, but it’s kind of a short list.”

“Do not disparage yourself. You would not be here if you were not exemplary.” Talia wondered how Bruce had failed to notice this lack of self-esteem, or if he had, why he hadn’t worked to ameliorate it.

Her answer came in Stephanie’s self-deprecating laugh. “Tell that to Bruce. He fired me as Robin, pretty much told me to hang up the whole caped gig. All but admitted he only let me be Robin because he figured Tim would come back to take it from me. I mean, he’s right though, I damn near got myself and a whole lot of other people killed. It’s just … I can’t know what I know and _ not _ help. Thankfully Dick’s willing to put in the time to help me, and I get training from Cass too. _ She’s _ superb.”

Talia bit back a growl; she would have words with Bruce over this, once he was sane enough to talk. All she said was, “Did I not just tell you not to disparage yourself?”

Her tone was a little stiff, angry with Bruce and not the girl, but Stephanie winced anyway. “Yeah, sorry about that, Babs is always after me not to trash-talk myself too. It’s a bad habit. Sorry.”

“Do not apologize, either,” Talia said, and couldn’t help the hum of Alpha command in the words. “None of them have the first inkling what it means to be an Omega woman - except perhaps Selina, and I wager _ she _ does not chide you so. You owe no one an apology, least of all me.”

Stephanie looked at her wide-eyed, and Talia throttled her protective instincts, focusing on rinsing the next dish. “You have been taught twice over, as a woman and an Omega, to be accommodating and polite and apologetic. No more. If you would be seen as Alpha, thank people for their consideration, but do not apologize unless you’re truly in the wrong. You do not have to be sorry for existing, Stephanie.”

The blonde blinked at her, clearly unused to such stern support. A tentative smile curved her mouth, and Talia counted that a victory.


	48. Chapter 48

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay - I was off work yesterday and spent the day mostly without signal.

The enormous dining room table let everyone spread out to look at the data, and Babs had tablets for each of them. Jay would’ve preferred printouts; somehow he found it easier to categorize stuff he could physically touch. Computerized data let him look at a whole lot more information, though, and it was harder to lose digital documents.

He scrolled through, reading summaries of each family. There were a _ lot _ of them, twenty-three total, and it made him want to find the coach’s grave so he could piss on the headstone. “How the hell did he get away with it for so long?” he grumbled.

“We’re working with incomplete data,” Babs said. “This list of names includes the families of witnesses as well as the parents whose children were directly affected. Still, he was apparently a very successful coach, and a lot of people turned a blind eye to anything they found odd as long as he kept winning games.”

“Same story as ever,” Selina sighed. “Predators are drawn to fields where they can have access to kids. Most teachers, coaches, and church leaders are good people, devoted to making sure their kids succeed, but assholes like this guy have figured out how to pretend to care.”

Dick stopped scrolling for a moment. “I’d almost forgotten it. We _ did _ have something like that happen once, in Haley’s. There was a guy they brought on, a very successful horse trainer. Had a great act with five liberty horses. Only, something went down with him and a fifteen-year-old trick rider.”

“What happened to him?” Tim asked.

Dick’s blue eyes went cold. “I was six, nobody wanted to say anything to me. They kicked him out, of course. I think it’s highly likely he was given some ‘encouragement’ to leave.”

“I hoped they encouraged him right into the hospital,” Jay muttered.

“Amen,” Selina said.

All of them went back to studying the data, Jay rubbing his temple. He tried to will it all to make sense, hunting for some crucial detail that would point to one of their known rogues’ gallery, but nothing leapt out at him. So he backtracked through all the secondary data Babs had, hoping for something that would spark a connection. Trying to keep his mind open for that chance was in some ways harder than concentrating intently on something.

Tim sat up and started typing, which made everyone else look up too. Jay held his breath, hoping the kid had a solid lead, but after a moment Tim deflated. “I thought one of these guys worked for Two-Face, but it’s a different person. I can’t find any family connections, either.”

Babs leaned over and glanced at his screen. “I’ll note it for further research, anyway. If they have the same last name, it might be a more distant relative.”

Tim shook his head. “This doesn’t seem like Two-Face’s M.O. I’d expect about half the victims to be released unharmed.”

“Unless he flipped the coin before he snatched them, and the ones who landed heads up never knew they were in trouble,” Jay mused.

Another round of silence, and Jay glanced up to relieve his eyes after reading through another four dossiers. He happened to look at Cass, who was hunched over her tablet glaring at it as though it had personally offended her. She was pretty damn intense, and he was _ very _ glad she hadn’t picked a fight with Talia. Every rumor they’d heard about her painted her as a terrifyingly skilled martial artist, and he didn’t want to see what Talia would do if she found herself overmatched.

Cass felt his gaze, and looked up briefly. He gave her a slight shrug and rubbed his eyes. She just smiled and returned to her reading. Jay, reluctantly, returned to his.

Time seemed to crawl, until Selina sat up, frowning. “I know this name,” she said. “But I can’t remember where _ from_. Does David Kaplan ring a bell for anyone else?”

All of them looked up hopefully, and Jay cudgeled his memory to no avail. “No luck here,” he said. “He wasn’t one of Black Mask’s people, back in the day. Or Joker’s.”

Cass shook her head, and so did Dick. Tim flicked through to that file and started reading, a frown-line between his brows, but said nothing. Babs dove into her own files, her eyes flicking back and forth over the screen. None of them seemed to recall a David Kaplan.

Selina groaned. “I _ know _ I know him from somewhere. Maybe I stole something from him? What’s his history, Babs?”

“He’s an accountant, married, father of two,” Babs read off. “Graduated with honors from the University of Pennsylvania, let me get his work history… It’s a common enough name that there are too many search results. I need to narrow it down to just the ones in Gotham City.”

Jay looked at the information, scanning down the page. “Wife’s name is Delia, daughters are Rachel and Lucy. No other family listed. He works for Friedrich, Williams, and Kaplan - I don’t know the firm, so they’re probably legit.”

“The girls are nine and twelve. They both get good grades, and have no conduct problems,” Tim said. “They’re both in soccer. It could be either one of them, or both.”

Selina grimaced in concentration, both hands fisted beside her temples. “I _ know _ all those names! I just don’t know what it connects to!”

“Don’t force it, let it come to you,” Jay advised. “Think about something else for a minute.”

“The only other thing I can think about is Bruce,” she admitted. “Hey Babs, pull up the surveillance screen for me? Might as well check on him.”

“Sure, let me toss this to Tim,” Babs said, and transferred over the search results. She had to close several more windows to get back to the program covering the security cams down in the Cave.

Meanwhile, Tim gasped. “Uh, Selina, I think I found it.”

“What?” she asked, leaning toward him.

“Delia Kaplan’s maiden name was Quinzel,” he said. “Those girls are Harley Quinn’s nieces.”

Selina’s jaw dropped. “Oh my _ God_, how could I forget?!”

Jay shrugged. “It slipped your mind, is all.”

“No, not that,” Selina replied. “Rachel’s her niece, yeah, but Lucy is Harley’s _ daughter_. She gave her up to her sister.”

“Harley has a _ daughter_?” Dick said, his eyes wide. “Oh no, this _ does _ sound like her. She already has a reason to mistrust Alphas…” 

“Yeah, Joker is Lucy’s father,” Selina said. “Harley never told him. Even after he died and she got with Pam on a permanent basis, she knew she didn’t have any kind of life to offer the kid. Her sister’s stable, at least.”

Jay found it odd that Babs hadn’t reacted, and he looked at her just in time to hear her swear under her breath. “We’ve got bigger problems,” she said, looking up at them. “Bruce isn’t in the cell. I have no idea how he got out, or where he is…” 

Jay knew, though. He was already kicking his chair back even before the thunderous snarl erupted in the kitchen.


	49. Chapter 49

“People are far more suggestible than they believe,” Talia said to Stephanie as she dried the last of the dishes. “You cannot fake command voice, but you don’t need it. If you give orders with an air of delegating authority, they’ll often obey.”

“I don’t have any authority to delegate, yet,” Stephanie chuckled.

Talia would’ve laughed, but suddenly the hair on the nape of her neck stood up. The strong citrus scent of the dish soap had blinded her nose, yet somehow she _ knew _ they were no longer alone in the kitchen. Her senses were too well-honed by a lifetime of assassin’s work not to shrill an alarm, and she did not stop to question _ how _ she knew.

She whirled, and Bruce cut between her and Stephanie with a deep, savage snarl. Talia stepped backward, remembering her conversation with Jay - perhaps he wouldn’t attack if she didn’t fight.

However, she’d drawn a knife unthinkingly, barely aware of its weight in her hand. Her training led her to regard anyone sneaking up on her as a threat, and threats simply _ were not _ faced empty-handed. Bruce saw the blade and struck at her forearm, the knife clattering to the floor.

Stephanie had squeaked in surprise when he appeared, but now she tried to catch his arm. “Bruce, it’s okay!” she said urgently.

He didn’t appear to hear her, still growling at Talia, and to her horror she found herself backed into the corner of the kitchen, hemmed in by the sink counter on one side and the massive refrigerator on the other. The part of her mind that assessed every potential threat reminded her now that Bruce was taller, broader, and stronger than she was. Yesterday when they’d fought, he’d been dehydrated, hungry, and exhausted, and she had barely kept ahead of him. Now he was fed and rested, driven by the urgent need to protect the most vulnerable member of his family: an unsuppressed adolescent Omega.

Blue eyes bore into hers, the low growl still rumbling in his chest. The scent of furious Alpha rose around her, calling forth her own defensive anger in response. Talia pressed her back against the wall and swallowed, her throat gone dry. This was a terrible time to remember how Bane had loomed over her, much like this, how his eyes had burned furiously when he stared at her, just like this… 

She was armed. She had four more knives and a pistol. But the instant she drew a weapon, he’d attack, and she did _ not _ want this to end in bloodshed. She had come to his city to _ help _ him, in the first place. So Talia took a shaky breath, stamped down on all her instincts and training that demanded she answer the threat, and said in the most conciliatory tone she could, “Bruce, don’t do this.”

His eyes narrowed, and his growl faded, but he still kept her penned in, and his posture was full of menace. Talia knew what she could do to make him step back: submit. Yielding to him, acknowledging him as clan Alpha in his own house, would calm him down. And the simplest way to do so was to offer him her throat.

An image from al Hirz flashed across Talia’s mind: Qamar tilting her chin aside, baring her throat. Talia had wanted to mark the scheming Omega, not as a lover the way she marked Jay, but as punishment for her transgressions.

Bruce _ probably _ wouldn’t bite her if she offered her throat. If he did, though, Talia wouldn’t be able to stop herself from retaliating violently. She was _ Alpha_, she accepted no one’s mark as a sign of dominance, and even though she _ knew _ the safest way to escape her predicament was to yield to Bruce … she couldn’t make herself do it. Her pride rose up in furious rebellion at the mere thought.

So she held perfectly still, not looking into his eyes for that would be perceived as a challenge, yet not offering her throat. Talia fixed her gaze over his shoulder, trying not to shiver under the weight of his stare. Bruce seemed frozen as well, caught on the edge of violence, waiting for one wrong move to tip him over the edge into a vicious attack.

That was the moment that Jay arrived, Selina hot on his heels, the rest of them jamming up in the doorway trying to follow. Jay didn’t hesitate in the slightest; he body-checked Bruce into the sink hard enough to knock the breath from the Alpha. And followed it up with three heavy blows to Bruce’s torso, the last of which caught him right in the solar plexus.

Without his uniform, Bruce had no body armor, only his own muscle to protect himself. He fell back, bringing his hands up defensively, even as Jay reached toward the sink. Talia thought he might be reaching for a heavy ladle, a less-lethal weapon than those they bore.

Instead he grabbed the sink sprayer, cranked the water around to cold, and snarled, “Step the _ fuck _off my Alpha,” as he turned it full blast on Bruce.

Bruce shook his head, momentarily blinded and stumbling into Selina and Steph, both of whom yelped as the water hit them, too. In the confusion, even Talia managed to get sprayed, the water unpleasantly cold. Jay bore in, spraying Bruce in the face relentlessly until he staggered backward. Jay finally turned off the water, and all of them stared at him in varying degrees of sodden surprise.

“Get your damn head clear, Bruce,” Jay snapped, still holding his position firmly between them. Talia realized then what he’d done and why. He’d seen her sniff a handful of water to clear her nose - now he’d forced Bruce to do the same. Now he glared at Bruce, shoulders tense, the very picture of an Omega ready for a brutally final fight. 

Selina grabbed Bruce’s arm and shook it. “_Lay off_,” she told him sternly. 

He goggled at her, but his expression grew even more amazed when Richard stepped up. Cassandra and Timothy were behind him; Stephanie moved to Selina’s side, glowering at him. Barbara was in the doorway, too. Richard spoke sternly, his chin up, taking command as he’d been trained to do. “Stand down, Bruce. Talia’s fine, we invited her here, she’s not hurting anyone. Cool it or we’ll tranq you again.”

Dr. Tompkins and Alfred had been drawn by the noise, and now his whole family stood ranged between him and Talia. She wiped a hand over her face, knowing her eyeliner was probably smeared, but at least she could edge out of the corner and stand beside Jay.

Bruce looked at her, and she saw sense returning to his gaze. “Talia?” he said, his voice rusty.

“Yes, Beloved,” she told him, and felt Jay stiffen. _ Damn_, that had rolled off her tongue entirely too easily … but Bruce looked so lost and wounded, she couldn’t help feeling a wave of compassion for him. And that had brought up all the old memories. The way he said her name, she could only respond with that private love-name which ought to have been retired years ago.

Bruce blinked. “I remember … what are you _ doing _ here?”

“Saving your ass, obviously,” Jay retorted, and raised the sprayer threateningly. “Now settle the fuck down if you don’t wanna look even more like a drowned rat. I _ will _ douse you if you threaten my Alpha again.”

He looked chastened, and turned to Barbara, who nodded. “They found out you were missing and rolled into town to help rescue you. We wouldn’t have been able to catch you and devise a treatment plan without them.” 

Bruce looked at them again, disbelief clear in his expression, and Stephanie laughed. “Yeah, looks like it’s time you pulled your head outta your ass, B-man. Surprise, a bunch of people care about you.”

Richard added with reluctance, “It’s also patently obvious that we were wrong about Jay.” Bruce’s eyes narrowed, but he didn’t argue. He had never _ seen _ Jay and Talia together - except the once, with Bane’s blood on her sword. He might’ve looked like an obedient follower then, but now it was very clear that Jay considered himself her equal.

Selina elbowed Bruce’s side. “If you don’t know what to say, you could start by apologizing for snarling at Talia. And choking her out yesterday.”

The wince of self-recrimination was all too obvious. Talia touched Jay’s shoulder to reassure him, then stepped forward. “Hardly the first time we’ve snarled at one another. As for yesterday, you were not in your right mind. And I baited you into that, to buy time for the rest to sedate you.”

“I’m not in my right mind _ now_,” Bruce complained, but he looked at her with dawning understanding. “Talia, this is what it’s like for you all the time?”

She inhaled, the scent of him filling her nose and tickling the roof of her mouth: the warmth of leather and tobacco overlaid with a touch of sandalwood. Rich, thick, intense, a scent she’d once reveled in. But these days her heart lifted to Jay’s aroma of honey, cinnamon, and chocolate; Bruce was merely nostalgic. She saw him breathe in as well, reflexively, and knew she smelled like persimmon, clove, and orange to him. Talia smiled, a little sadly. “I doubt it, Bruce. I have more practice reining in my impulses.”

“This is…” Bruce began, and trailed off. Talia could only feel sympathy; he had little experience coping with the demands of his designation, and the Omegas and Betas standing firmly between himself and a rival Alpha could only be confusing the issue. He passed a hand over his face, trying to regain control and a measure of the stoic composure for which he was so well-known, and turned to his doctor. “Leslie, I need suppressants.”

“Not until we’re sure this is out of your system,” she said sternly, crossing her arms. “Suppressants have had an inverse effect on the rest of the Alphas.”

Bruce scowled at that. “I assume you shared my treatment protocol with the staff at Arkham?”

“Of course,” she replied. “All right, worrying about other people instead of yourself is normal enough behavior to satisfy me that you’re mostly recovered. But that doesn’t mean I’m releasing you from care until your bloodwork comes back normal.”

“Then let’s go test it again,” Bruce said, and Dr. Tompkins rolled her eyes at his insistence. He glanced once at Talia, who let herself smile slightly, and he nodded in reply. She knew to take that as tacit acceptance of her presence here. Anything more would take time; Bruce was still just as stubborn as ever, focused on the mission.

That was when Jay touched her elbow. “I need a word with you,” he said.

She nodded, and ran a hand over her face. “And I need a towel. That was quick thinking, Jay.”

“I learned from the best.” He followed her out to the hall, leaving the rest to deal with Bruce and the doctor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who's left kudos, bookmarked, subscribed, and commented. I feel like I took a risk, writing this one, and it's certainly taken up a lot more brain-space and time than I ever expected. All of you keep me going when I doubt myself.
> 
> We are getting close to the final arc of the story, which is going to be fairly action-heavy. I hope you all enjoy it!
> 
> I do also have some non-Talia-centric projects in the works, but I'm committed to finishing this story. And I will never abandon Talia. She's always going to be my favorite.


	50. Chapter 50

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's just a little fanservice here, hope you enjoy it!

Jay grabbed a clean towel, and ducked into the closest drawing room, shutting the door behind them. Talia took the towel and went to the mirror above the mantle, patting herself dry and checking her makeup. “Thank you for rescuing me,” she said softly. “I was … I despise being cornered. And he reminded me…”

She trailed off, but he knew what it had reminded her of. Being cornered by a large, powerfully-built man was still too much like Bane. Jay went to her, aware despite everything else that he was _ also _ a large, powerfully-built man. He rubbed Talia’s back, gently, careful not to loom. “It’s all right, babe. Sorry I sprayed you, too.”

Turning to him, she smiled. “A little makeup is a small price to pay. Something you wanted to tell me?”

By the way she asked, Jay knew that Talia knew. She let him say it in his own words, though, and he was grateful for that. Even if it took him a few minutes to figure out how he wanted to say it. “I know it was a knee-jerk reaction, but … I _ really _ don’t like you calling him Beloved.”

Talia nodded, her eyes serious. “It has been a very long time since my heart belonged to him. Bruce and I both moved on, and we are both happier for it.”

“Yeah, but we also both still care about the guy, or we wouldn’t be here,” Jay said unhappily. Fucking Gotham, first the revelation about the drug money and now this - at least _ this _ was just a word. He knew Talia wouldn’t leave him, not for Bruce, not for anyone. She’d been too damn scared that _ he’d _ leave _ her_.

But still, that name caught in his ears, reminding him that if things had gone differently, Talia might’ve ended up married to Bruce. She’d even joked earlier about being his stepmother. What would his life have been like, if they’d gone down that road? And why after seven years together did he suddenly feel a bit like a homewrecker?

Talia watched his face while all of that ran through his mind, and reached up to run her fingers through his hair. Her scent, sweet and warm, rose from her wrists and skimmed down the sides of his face. Jay breathed her in, his eyes falling half-closed. “You are my love, and my only lover,” Talia murmured.

He turned his face to kiss the inside of her forearm, feeling her draw breath at the touch of his mouth so close to the scent glands. “I love you, too. Just … don’t call him that, okay?” Even as he spoke, Jay knew that he didn’t really have to ask. It had been a momentary slip, not something Talia intended to go around saying. He still couldn’t help the splinter of irritation those three syllables drove into him.

Talia’s fingernails ruffled the shorter hair at the nape of his neck, and her voice was low and husky when she spoke. “I will not make that mistake again. But why don’t you remind me why I shouldn’t say it, ya hayaati?”

_ My life_, the phrase meant, and Jay wasn’t used to hearing it outside of the bedroom. The tone of her voice, the way she looked at him, he wasn’t used to _ that _ anywhere else, either. Jay decided to take her at her word, and caught her hips, stepping close to kiss her.

One kiss full of passion and desire, Talia hypnotically sweet on his tongue, and it wasn’t _ all _ lust between them - but the lust was very nice, indeed. She arched against him, her chest thrumming with a low purr of arousal, and the hell with it. Jay picked her up, Talia breaking the kiss to laugh, and set her on top of the nearest table. Something fell off, bouncing on the carpet, but neither of them cared. Jay nuzzled in against her throat, Talia’s chuckles cutting off in a gasp as he licked the scent gland at the base of her neck.

She wrapped her legs around him, and Jay bit down, marking her as his the way she so often marked him. He knew very damn well that anyone else who tried that with her would get a knife in the gut for it; she was an Alpha’s Alpha, always so damn dominant … except with him. Talia’s breath sizzled into a growl, her legs tightening across his back, and he growled back in happy possessiveness. “Mine,” Jay rumbled, nipping her jaw.

Talia caught his hair, tugged his head back, and bit his throat, humming, “_ Mine_.” She broke off to kiss him, whispering against his lips, “My love, my life, my heart, my soul, my Jay, always and forever.”

“Always, lover, don’t you forget it,” he whispered back, and kissed her deeply. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, wreathing him in her scent. Jay growled softly, one hand dropping to her thigh, wishing she’d worn a skirt today so he could have bare skin under his fingertips. He couldn’t get any closer without ripping off some clothes, and honestly that was looking like a great idea the longer they kissed… 

The door, which he’d never bothered to lock, opened then, and Dick was already saying, “Bruce wants to talk … to you both…” as he walked in. He trailed off, staring, his expression so plainly and prudishly horrified that Jay could only snicker as he and Talia broke apart only enough to look toward the interruption.

Talia arched a brow, looking back at him smugly, and Dick’s sudden silence made both Tim and Steph peek around him. Tim blushed and ducked out of sight; Steph grinned and tipped Jay a wink. Dick still looked like someone’s grandmother catching their favorite ‘sweet and innocent’ kid in a compromising position, and damned if Jay would be ashamed. Not after all they’d been through together.

So he just smirked at Dick, and said, “Look, Dickie-Bird, if you wanna watch, that’s fine - but I charge for that.”

He looked appropriately horrified, but Talia kicked Jay in the small of the back. “Enough,” she said crossly, pushing him away. She was gentle about it though, and the brightness of desire still lit her eyes. “Jay, that was thoroughly uncalled for.”

“Did you see his face, though?” he laughed, finally stepping back, and Talia straightened her blouse.

“Okay, we’re not talking about that,” Dick said. “Seriously, though, bad timing. Bruce wants to talk to you while Doc Leslie runs the bloodwork.”

“Sure, Dick,” Jay said, adjusting his own collar. “It wasn’t going much further than that, we just needed to discuss priorities.”

“I don’t want to know,” Dick said, holding both hands up. “Also there’s Febreze in the hall closet, I don’t think you want to stroll up to Bruce smelling like the coat room at prom.”

“Much appreciated,” Talia said, with laughter lurking under her words.


	51. Chapter 51

Richard needn’t have worried; when Talia and Jay walked into the study where Dr. Tompkins had just drawn Bruce’s blood for testing, the scent of antiseptic barely covered a potent mix of vanilla, mint, sandalwood, and leather. Evidently Bruce and Selina had felt a similar need to renew their bond; in any case, the Cat was curled into a chair with a contented smile on her lips.

Bruce simply looked at Talia and Jay, those blue eyes missing not a single detail, and Talia knew he saw the reddening bite on Jay’s neck, but she refused to flinch. She would _ not _ be ashamed, not of Jay and not of herself. So she kept her chin up, meeting Bruce’s gaze levelly, daring him to comment. 

When he spoke, it wasn’t quite what she’d been expecting. “Thank you, both of you, for your help,” Bruce said, and Talia blinked. She’d been readying herself to hear thanks more polite than genuine, followed immediately by the request that they leave his city. It had never been his way to share troubled times.

Instead, he continued, “I would never have thought to ask either of you for anything, but apparently I’m the one who’s been a fool.”

“No, Bruce,” Talia said, shaking her head. If he could be both apologetic and nonjudgmental, then she could be courteous too. She let her shoulders relax; there was no need to maintain a facade of strength here. They had all known each other too well for that, once; and she was done trying to hide from the past. “We all were. I thought you’d never understand, nor forgive me for stealing your son.”

Jay laughed, his voice still tense. “Shit, I thought you’d never forgive _ me _ for stealing your girlfriend.” Talia cut her eyes at him, amused by the choice of words.

“And I thought the only reason I wasn’t on the League of Shadows hit-list was that you meant to handle this personally,” Bruce said.

Talia reared back, her eyes wide. “Have you lost your mind? I would _ never_…!”

Jay looked just as dismayed. “Dude, she spent a few years and a lot more money stalling _ me _ so I wouldn’t put you down. I had a bomb in the Batmobile _ long _before you even knew I was back from the dead.”

“You were all wrong about each other,” Selina said, sitting up. “So let’s get it right this time, okay? Because if we don’t all get our act together, Alfred’s gonna make us suffer until he gets to see his second-oldest grandson again.”

Talia glanced at Jay, and they both smiled. The rest of the family had filed in as well, and Barbara spoke up then. “I’m in favor of getting it right, too. It’s extremely obvious that Jay isn’t being controlled, Bruce. There’s nothing to save him from.”

“Even more obvious a couple minutes ago,” Richard muttered. He raised his voice to add, “Look, Bruce, you know I’m the last person in the world who’d be Team Demon, but … it’s pretty darn clear that they love each other. And Talia risked her life to help us catch you. Every minute she’s in Gotham, she’s risking being captured, all to help us put a stop to this. So let’s all let bygones be bygones, okay? The two of them are awfully useful to have around.”

Jay spoke in a wondering voice. “Damn, Dick, from you that’s practically a parade and a city park named after us.”

Almost everyone in the room broke into laughter at that. Talia shook her head, chuckling, and met Bruce’s eyes. He wasn’t a man who smiled or laughed easily, but she could read the lightness in his expression, and it boded well.

“I never meant to keep you away,” he said. “Either of you. You’re welcome to stay as long as you like.”

“It can’t be as long as that,” Jay said. “We’ve got the whole rest of the world to worry about, and some of that has to be handled personally. Plus I think the body count will wear out our welcome.”

Talia cut in then. “We have, and will, keep to your code in your city, Bruce. At least as far as we can. There are some offenses I cannot forgive. But it is good to know we’re welcome here.”

The entire situation was still too fragile to bear much scrutiny; Bruce nodded, but Talia knew the topic of killing would come up again. And that it would always be one area where she fundamentally disagreed with him. Perhaps an explanation of why Bane had to die would give him pause … and that was not a subject Talia intended to mention any time soon.

Richard spoke up again. “Since you’re coherent again - we thought we’d narrowed down who did this. One of the first Alphas found dead was a middle school coach with a sealed indictment against him. It turns out to be an inappropriate conduct against minors case, with possibly heavier charges pending. And one of the families named is Harley Quinn’s sister, her husband, and their two daughters - one of which is actually _ Harley’s _ child. She gave the girl up to her sister to raise. Bruce, was it Harley who did this?”

A long pause, as Bruce searched his memory. “Everything for the last week is a fog,” he said slowly. “A _ red _ fog. But I remember seeing Harley. She smelled like _ you_.” He turned to Selina with those words, his gaze troubled.

“I haven’t seen her in a long time,” Selina replied.

But a horrifying possibility occurred to Talia. “Given Poison Ivy’s mastery of biochemical toxins, what are the odds she could mimic someone’s scent?”

“I’d bet on that,” Timothy said grimly. “Perfumes and colognes already exist to mimic Alpha and Omega scents. Someone with her skills and resources could easily figure out how to replicate a specific person’s scent.”

Selina bit her lip. “Harley’s about the only person in the world Pam cares about - but she does have a soft spot for kids. If Harley’s daughter was threatened, I could see Pam moving heaven and earth to keep it from happening again.”

“Guys, it doesn’t even have to be Selina’s own scent,” Jay said, and he looked shaken. “Look, we know we don’t _ actually _ smell exactly the same to everyone. It’s our brains taking the person’s scent and cross-matching it to associations we already have. That Alpha cologne works by distilling a kind of generic Alpha smell, and then layering it over the normal scent of the person wearing it. What if Ivy’s figured out how to create a perfume that smells like ‘your Omega’ to every Alpha that encounters it?”

“That would be terrifyingly effective,” Bruce said, his voice dry. “Harder, initially, than mimicking someone’s own scent, but much more effective at netting a wide range of subjects.”

“It would even work on unpartnered Alphas,” Barbara said worriedly. “For them, the scent would just be the most attractive odor they’d ever encountered.”

“How come people aren’t falling down in the streets wherever someone’s been taken?” Richard asked. “You’d think if they were using this kind of ultimate Omega scent, it’d linger.”

Stephanie nodded toward the sink. “They’d have to cover it up somehow. That lemon detergent Alfred uses is pretty good at that. It takes the food-smells off the good china without hurting it, but I couldn’t even smell Bruce when he was right behind me.” She looked at Bruce, giving him a little shrug. “I mean, you had a bath at least - and thank God, you reeked yesterday - but if I hadn’t been right over the cleanser, I would’ve scented you. So would Talia.”

Bruce’s eyes narrowed, and even before he spoke Talia felt a cold foreboding gathering in her belly. “I remember waking up to this strong floral smell, a lot like cleanser…” 

The bottom dropped out of her world, and Talia looked at Jay, her eyes wide. In the same breath, they both said what they feared most. “_Khairah_.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, things are about get very interesting. I've been looking forward to posting this arc since I started writing this fic ... about this time last year, actually.
> 
> Also, if you have me on user subscription, you probably noticed I posted something for another fandom. There might be a couple more, but the SuperCorp stuff won't interfere with the posting schedule of this fic, and I do still intend to finish up the other Talia-centric WIPs. Talia is still my first love and favorite character in DC.


	52. Chapter 52

Talia had her phone out, already dialing, and to Jay’s eyes she was just barely holding it together. Meanwhile he got the avalanche of questions, all of which boiled down to “Who’s Khairah?”

“Be silent,” Talia snarled, and that rudeness coming from her was enough to startle Jay. She stormed out into the hall, phone pressed to her ear, and Jay didn’t want to handle the q & a - but better him than her. The whole family was staring at him in surprise and dismay; he had to tell them _ something_.

“Khairah is her daughter,” Jay said. “She’s the one at the hotel. Yesterday when we went back there was a strong smell, like some kind of floral cleaning product, around the back stairs. Hopefully it’s just a coincidence.”

Dick stared at him in disbelief. “You two have a kid? And you left her _ alone_?”

Jay rolled his eyes. “Jesus fucking Christ, Dick, I said _ her _ daughter, not mine. At least not biologically. And Khairah’s fifteen, I was living on my own younger than that. She should’ve been safe in the hotel for a few hours!”

That just complicated the issue further, Bruce standing up with a worried look on his face. “Jason … who is the girl’s father?”

Jay scrubbed his hands over his face, wanting nothing more than to bolt out of here and go find the kid. “Not you, either. _Talia _ is her sire. Her mother’s an Omega woman none of you have ever met - it was a one-night thing, Talia didn’t even know the kid existed until a couple months ago. We took Khairah in because she’s Alpha, and she’s grown up in an Omega sanctuary city. Someone had to teach her how to be an Alpha.”

“And you brought her to Gotham in the middle of _ this_?” Dick exclaimed.

“We didn’t mean to come here! The plan was to go to _ Metropolis_,” Jay yelled back. “And they were already _ in _ Blüdhaven when we found out someone was targeting Alphas!”

“Of course you didn’t bring her here, because of the reaction you just got,” Babs said, biting her lip.

“Exactly,” Jay spat, and walked out. That was all the explanation they were owed, anyway. Right now he didn’t care about Bat-family drama, he just wanted to know Khairah was okay.

Talia stood in the hall, her eyes squeezed shut, the phone pressed hard against her ear. She was murmuring under her breath in Arabic, and it gave Jay goosebumps to realize she was actually _ praying_. In ten years, he’d never once heard Talia pray, not even when he’d lowered her into the Lazarus Pit after killing her father … but here she was, whispering, “Allah is the Most Great, Mightier than all His creation. He is Mightier than what I fear and dread…” 

Jay touched her back lightly; she was so tense her flesh felt like stone. Talia broke off her prayer, yanked the phone away from her ear, and snarled a curse. Her eyes were stricken. “She’s not answering the room phone or her cell phone,” Talia told him, and dialed another number without waiting for a response. Jay just rubbed her shoulder.

He became aware that Dick was standing beside him, and the whole room behind them had gone silent. Everyone was waiting to hear _ something _ about a girl they’d never met - but that didn’t matter. A person in danger always became top priority for all of them. It was what they did; hell, it was who they were.

Talia had called the hotel’s front desk, and when someone answered she led with the name she’d checked in under and their room number. “My fifteen-year-old daughter should be alone in that room right now. But she’s not answering my calls. I need you to check the room, _ now_. Yes, I’ll hold.” When they put her on hold, she looked up at Jay. “We need to get there, now. Even if she’s just in the shower or asleep, I don’t want her alone. Not anymore.”

“I’ll drive,” Jay said. She was far too torqued up; so was he, honestly, but Talia looked like she might get into a wreck.

“_I’ll _ drive,” Dick said, and they both turned to look at him. He shrugged. “I’m Blüdhaven PD, I’ve got a badge and a light. Come on, let’s go.”

“_Thank you,_” Talia said fervently. 

“We’re out,” Dick called over his shoulder, the three of them heading toward the garage while Talia was still on hold. 

Somewhere behind them, Jay heard Doc Leslie arguing with Bruce that he wasn’t going _ anywhere_, and then Babs called out, “Give me the hotel name! I’ll look at their security cameras!” Jay yelled it to her, breaking into a run. He had a _ bad _ feeling about this. Everything before now had been risky, dangerous, but he’d never felt the situation sliding out of control like a grapnel line slipping through his gloves, with a huge yawning drop beneath him.

Dick’s car looked like a hot rod, and Jay found himself squeezed awkwardly into the narrow backseat. When he turned the ignition key, it rumbled to life sounding like something out of Formula One racing. Dick paused only long enough to stick the magnetic blue police light on top, then backed out of the garage and roared down the driveway.

Talia was praying under her breath again, waiting for the hotel manager to get back to her. Jay wouldn’t tell her to stop - he was pretty close to murmuring a few Hail Marys himself - but it unnerved the hell out of him. Fear for Khairah had driven her to ask intercession where her own actual, if temporary, death had not.

Dick drove fast, and the car handled like something custom-built. Like the Batmobile, actually. “Fifteen minutes,” he said quietly, and Talia nodded to show she’d heard.

Another moment, and she startled upright. “Yes, I’m here,” she said, and that was when Jay started praying in his own mind, too. Just let Khairah be safe, she could’ve been asleep or in the shower, let her be mad at them for sending the manager up _ as long as she was _ ** _there_**_… _

Talia caught her breath in a sound that wasn’t quite a sob, and Jay’s heart felt. “I understand. We’ll be there shortly. No, no need to call them, I’m with an officer now. Thank you.” With that, she clicked off the call, dropped the phone to the floorboards, and covered her face with her hands, letting out a tortured groan. “She’s _ gone_. Allah preserve me, I should have brought her with us, a little uncomfortable questioning is _ nothing _ to this, I should have kept her by my side! Or sent her home as soon as we knew there was a problem, she’d be safer alone on a plane than she was here. How could I be so _ stupid_?!” Talia curled one hand into a fist and brought it down on her thigh, hard enough that Jay winced.

“Stop that,” Dick said brusquely, and Jay saw Talia’s head snap around, ready to unload on him. Before she could, Dick continued, “You did the best you could with the information you had at the time. Sometimes that just isn’t enough. We know who has her, we know how to reverse whatever they’re doing to the Alphas. And we’re _ going _ to get her back. She hasn’t been gone long, Babs will check the cams and get us a lead.”

“I left my daughter alone for that jackal to steal,” Talia said bitterly. “My daughter whom I’ve barely gotten to know!”

“That makes it harder to bear, but Talia, this isn’t your fault,” Dick insisted. “We’re going to find her. Just hang on.”

“That’s easier said than done.” Talia clenched her fists, and Jay reached around the back of her seat, putting his hands on her shoulders and trying to steady her with his touch.

Dick just kept on soothing her, much to Jay’s surprise. “You’ve got the best team on the planet on your side, Talia. We’ll find her. Just breathe, we’ll do this together. Jay, how about a description?”

“She looks like mini-Talia,” he said with a short laugh. “Five-six, about one-twenty-five, brown hair, brown eyes, a little bit darker skin tone than T. Hell, I’ve got a picture from last night on the phone.”

“Text it to Babs, along with the stats,” Dick said, keeping his eyes on the road. “You said she has a cell phone? Text that number to Babs, too, she can try to track it.”

“It’s a burner phone,” Talia said mournfully. “I didn’t want anyone else tracing us.”

“Babs is better than your average hacker,” Dick assured her.

Jay just hoped they could pull this off. The alternative was too terrifying to contemplate.


	53. Chapter 53

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mentions of past trauma here, but no details.

Another beat of tense silence in the car, as Jay texted the photo and information to Babs, and Talia just stared out the window. After a moment, she said, “Hadiyah is going to kill me.”

“Nobody has to die tonight,” Dick said firmly.

Talia growled, “I’ll flay Quinn and Ivy both alive, if they’ve harmed my daughter. Fuck Bruce’s ‘code’, I’d level your entire godforsaken city if I thought it would help me find her sooner.”

She expected a strong response to that, but to her surprise Richard simply put one hand over hers. He seemed to understand that her rage was motivated by fear; she’d never looked for understanding from this man, but he was doing everything he could to help her now. “They did all this to protect a child not much younger than Khairah is. I doubt they’d hurt another one. We’re going to get her back before anything bad can happen.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Talia said at last, thinking of Hadiyah, who had made such a leap of faith in trusting Talia with their daughter. And now she’d failed, broken the promise she’d made. “Hadiyah will want my head on a pike regardless.”

“Let’s worry about what you’ll say to her mother once we have her back,” Richard advised, correctly guessing whom she meant.

Talia looked at him, her voice bleak. “No, she may very well try to kill me for this. Hadiyah is a pacifist in most things, but when she thought I’d come to her city to take her daughter, she offered herself instead - intending to murder me in my sleep at the first opportunity. Khairah is her only child, and quite literally her reason for living.”

“He’s right though. We’ll have Khairah back tonight, most likely, and then we can figure out how much Hadiyah has to know,” Jay said. 

“I won’t lie to her,” Talia told him quietly. It would be dishonorable as well as dishonest to ask Khairah to lie as well … and that assumed that they _ did _ get her back safely.

If they didn’t, she might as well fall on her sword. It’d be less painful.

“Yeah, but if you have Khairah whole and well on video chat when you tell her, she _ might _ not go full scorched-earth on us,” Jay said. He at least was still optimistic about their chances.

They were nearing the hotel, Richard driving very fast and very competently. “Tell me if it’s none of my business, and I’ll shut up,” he began. “But the way you talk … Jay said this was a one-night stand. It sounds like something a lot more complicated.”

Talia laughed bitterly. “Thank you for trying to spare me, love. No, Richard, it was one night, but neither of us chose it.” Her throat seemed to close around the words; even two days again, the suggestion that she might say this to _ Grayson _ would have sent her into a fit of derisive laughter.

He paused, and asked worriedly, “Ra’s…?”

“Bane,” Talia said shortly, and just like every other time she said the man’s name, she felt his lips on her mouth at the sound. Even that briefest of memories made her gorge rise.

Richard _ was _ a detective. He put the facts together, and said in a cold voice she’d never heard from him before, “In that case, good riddance.”

Talia glanced over at him, surprised. He’d had to relinquish her hand to drive, only minutes from the hotel now, and his eyes fixed on the road had gone hard as blue stone. “I hunted him to his den and cut his head off,” Talia said, testing his reaction.

“Better than he deserved, really,” Richard said in that same frosty tone. He glanced at her and gave her a humorless smile. “We’re not as different as you think. If Bruce hadn’t pulled me off him, I would’ve killed Joker for what he did to Jay. I didn’t go in _ planning _ to murder him, but after the soulless bastard told me he’d hit Jay a lot harder than I’d just hit him, well … I don’t think I could make myself regret that, even now.”

Jay, in the backseat, said in a wondering voice, “Y’know, somebody should’ve told me that. It would’ve done a lot for my whole ‘my family replaced me and never cared that I died’ complex.”

Richard glanced in the rearview mirror and shrugged. “Maybe Bruce isn’t right all the time. I’m the _ first _ person to raise that banner. But if we can get your daughter back unharmed, then maybe we can turn Harley and Ivy in to Arkham alive, too. The person who started all this was the sick pedophile piece of garbage who tried something with Harley’s daughter, and he’s already dead.”

Talia sat back, feeling as if she could breathe again. She focused on hope instead of rage. “Khairah… I never thought anyone could mean so much to me. I didn’t expect to have a daughter, _ especially _ like this. Her mother is far braver than I am.”

“What makes you say that?” Richard asked. Talia realized he was keeping her talking so she wouldn’t spiral into fatalism, but it worked even though she recognized it. 

Talia explained, “Hadiyah bore my daughter. I could not have done that. I do not think I could bear to see Bane’s eyes in my child’s face; I doubt I could love, the way Hadiyah so plainly loves Khairah.” Remembering Hadiyah calling her daughter a blessing, Talia closed her eyes, her throat tight. Khairah was a blessing for her, too, and to think of her lost… 

Richard spoke gently. “That _ is _ brave. She sounds like an amazing lady.”

“She was only fifteen herself, when Bane found her,” Talia said, suppressing a chill. She still couldn’t speak of those events in any detail, not without triggering vivid, horrifying flashbacks. “He used her to get to me. I didn’t know her name, and I couldn’t find her - for years I thought she was dead. It was only a few months ago that Jay and I found the sanctuary city, and met the only Alpha in it when she tried to attack us. And then we met Hadiyah - its founder and leader - when she stopped that fight by telling Khairah that I am her sire.”

“Things were a little dicey for a while,” Jay added, glossing over a great deal. “We settled it - the place gets our support, but Hadiyah’s in charge, not us. And Khairah came with us. It’s not good for an Alpha to grow up surrounded by Omegas, most of whom are survivors of abuse. The kid couldn’t help but start to hate herself for what she is.”

“If anyone can turn that around, it’s you,” Richard replied. “Talia, I got a lecture on bias recently, but no one can deny that you’re the definition of a proud Alpha.”

“And what would I be if I were anything else?” Talia asked softly. “My father had many children over the centuries, most of them Beta. How many even knew him? If I were Beta like my mother, he’d have as much trouble recalling my name as he does hers.”

Her own bitterness surprised her, and Talia shook her head. “I don’t regret what I am. I never imagined regret was a possibility until I met Hadiyah. We both suffered - she dedicated her life to saving Omegas like herself. I have spent a great deal of mine killing anyone who reminded me of Bane.”

“The world’s a better place with _ both _ of you in it,” Jay insisted. “We save Omegas, too - and we put down the bastards who hurt them. Don’t beat yourself up, Talia.”

Richard had driven swiftly, and they were approaching the hotel. “Enough talk,” Talia said, knowing she wouldn’t - _ couldn’t _ \- stop blaming herself, until Khairah was safe and whole in her arms again. “We’re here.”


	54. Chapter 54

They already knew Khairah wasn’t in the hotel. Jay found himself hoping she’d disobeyed them and snuck out, that they’d get there in time to catch her sneaking back in. Talia would read her the riot act - but she’d be _ safe_. It was stupid, Khairah wouldn’t have done that, but he’d gladly take stupid and careless over kidnapped.

Dick parked in front of the hotel and killed the flashing light. Jay bailed out of the backseat in an awkward hurry, grabbing Talia’s arm before she could storm through the doors. She wheeled on him, eyes ablaze, and he stepped in close. “Dick’s the cop. Let him handle it. We need to see what evidence is there - and you going full Demon on the staff isn’t gonna help.”

She glowered, but nodded. Dick swept past them both, badge in hand, and the manager wisely met them just inside the doors. “No one has been in the room except myself,” he said, escorting them to the elevator. “I’ll warn you, that chemical odor is back. It’s nothing inside the hotel. I’ve got a team pulling the security footage now.”

Jay knew - they all knew - Khairah was gone, but they all had to see the room first anyway. Talia strode across the lobby trailing the scent of her anger and distress, but she let Dick talk to the manager. He stationed himself at her side, trying to steady her. 

At the manager’s warning, Talia took a set of filters out of her pocket and clipped them into her nose. Jay did the same, while Dick was asking about security measures. The elevator smelled like floral cleanser, and Jay’s gut tightened.

He’d never had a grudge against Harley. As time went on, he felt a weird kind of sympathy for her; they’d both been broken by the same psycho, after all, and in those shared scars was a kind of compassion. But _ this_? If Harley hurt Khairah, Jay would put her down.

At the door to the room, Dick caught Talia’s elbow, and Jay saw her wheel on him - then check herself, subsiding. “We’ll want to print the door,” Dick said, and the manager gave him a handkerchief. He opened it, gingerly, one hand on his baton.

That chemical smell was even stronger, and Jay breathed through his nose so the filters could work on it. Talia winced, gritting her teeth, and she and Dick moved into the room together.

No signs of a struggle, and for a nanosecond that lifted Jay’s heart - until he remembered that all the other kidnapped Alphas had been taken the same way. He stayed out, not wanting to disturb any evidence, and peered around the living space. 

“Her phone,” Talia said, her voice bleak. It had been left on the couch in front of the TV.

Dick glanced over and nodded. “Just like the others. All right, let’s seal this room and see the security footage.”

The manager, beside Jay, gave a brisk nod. All of them trooped back downstairs, Talia all but vibrating with tension. Another employee met them at the elevator bank, murmuring that the footage was ready in the manager’s office. He nodded, and ushered them all in.

The manager was an Alpha, Jay thought, but suppressed. He looked uncomfortable having Talia in his office; she smelled of her frustration, an almost metallic edge to her usual scent. Jay kept one hand on her back or shoulder as they all crowded around the screen.

“This is the hallway outside the room, an hour ago,” the manager said, and pressed play. They watched a maid come out of the room next door, glance at the ‘Do not disturb’ sign on their room, and continue up the hall.

The elevator doors opened, and a woman stepped out, heading directly for their door. Jay narrowed his gaze; she didn’t look up at the camera, and she was wearing a ball cap that hid her face, but it could be Harley. Talia growled under her breath as the woman knocked on their door, then knelt in front of it, pressing something against the bottom of the door.

She had to knock three times before it opened, and even then Khairah left the chain on. The woman turned out to be holding an atomizer; she pushed it through the narrow opening, and a moment later the door closed, then reopened wide. Khairah looked dazed; she stepped out, and the woman took her hand. She started to lead the girl away, but Khairah hesitated, looking back toward the door that still stood open.

Talia growled again, watching, as the woman reached out and turned Khairah’s face toward her. That put her wrist close enough to scent, and Khairah turned into it, nuzzling the woman’s arm. She stepped away, and Khairah followed her to the elevator.

“Are there cameras in the elevators?” Dick asked.

“Yes, but there’s a little more here,” the manager said. A moment later the woman was back, alone, carrying a spray bottle. She spritzed it into the room, closed the door, then spritzed the door, the walls, and the carpet outside it. Capping the bottle, she returned to the elevator.

“The cleanser is a cover for whatever scent she used to lure the girl,” Dick said.

The manager nodded. “All right, let me get the elevator footage. They left it cued up … here.” He opened another window, and they were looking into the elevator.

First they saw the woman ride up; the angle was almost straight down, so there was little to see. She got off, and the car remained on the floor. A few minutes later, she returned, with Khairah docile at her side. She took hold of the girl’s face again, and sprayed something right into her mouth. Jay was reminded, uncomfortably, of trying to sedate Bruce only last night.

Evidently it _ was _ a sedative, as Khairah slumped against the wall. She didn’t fall down, but she looked decidedly woozy. The kidnapper put something in the door to hold it open, then left for a moment, covering up her scent. She was back quickly, and they rode down to the first floor. She led Khairah out, the girl moving at a shambling pace.

“And the exterior camera,” the manager said, bringing up one more window. Jay leaned forward, bending all of his will and hope toward one thing: a glimpse of a license plate.

Hand in hand, Khairah and the kidnapper walked slowly to the parking lot. They went to a dark late-model SUV, and the woman opened the tailgate. Khairah climbed inside obediently, and the woman closed her in. She drove off; the entire kidnapping had taken less than five minutes. And the SUV’s license plate had never been in view. Jay cursed under his breath, and Talia bowed her head, pressing a hand to her mouth.

Dick took out his phone and made a call. He said ‘Dispatch’ for the manager’s sake, but Jay knew he was talking to Oracle, describing the vehicle. Babs might be able to hack into some other cameras nearby and get an image of the plate. Jay rubbed Talia’s back, while the manager looked to Dick. As soon as he closed his phone, the man asked, “Is there anything else we can do to help?”

“Check on any hotel keys or employee badges that have gone missing,” Dick said. “We need to know how she gained access. Review the footage from yesterday, too - she was likely here then as well.”

“The only thing _ I _ need is to find my daughter,” Talia growled. 

Dick put his hand on her shoulder. “We’re working it from all angles. We’ll find out where they’re holding them. Or we might even get the car while it’s still in transit. You know how good our surveillance team is.”

Talia nodded, and to Jay’s surprise, Dick actually hugged her. An awkward kind of one-armed hug, tugging her into his side, but she leaned into it gratefully. “We’re going to find her,” he promised.

“Thank you,” she murmured, and stepped back. Jay took her hand, and squeezed it gently.

Dick and the manager were going over the surveillance videos, but the poor Alpha found it difficult to concentrate with Talia in the same enclosed space. He couldn’t help glancing over his shoulder at her. Meanwhile, she turned to Jay, her eyes full of misery. “This is my fault,” she murmured.

“No, leave the blame where it belongs - on the people who did this,” Jay insisted gently.

Talia shook her head. “They hadn’t struck outside Gotham until now. It’s entirely too plausible that they were tracking _ me_. My scent led them right to her.” 

That made a hellish kind of sense, but Dick looked up from the computer to frown at them. “Or they started here because it’s a high-end hotel frequented by business travelers, who tend to be Alpha. Don’t blame yourself.”

“See, that’s plausible,” Jay said, and ran a hand down Talia’s back. She shivered at the touch, and he gave her space.

Now they had to get Khairah back both for her own sake, and to keep Talia from spiraling into self-recrimination that would make her reckless.

“Right there,” Dick said, and Jay leaned toward the screen as he and the manager did. It was the exterior camera, and this time they caught Harley walking through the parking lot toward the back door. She arrived at the same time as a mother with three children, and as the mom opened the door, Harley caught and held it for her with a smile. Slick as ice, right there, she hadn’t even needed a badge.

“Where did she go from there?” Jay asked, and the manager looked at the time stamp, then started pulling up interior cameras. She got off the elevator on the third floor, and headed up the corridor with a tote bag over her shoulder, looking down at her phone. Looking like just another traveler in search of her room. She stopped, every so often, and tapped at her phone. 

“She must be talking to her accomplice,” Dick murmured.

The manager merely glowered at the screen. Jay figured he must be thinking of lawsuits, maybe even criminal liability. “You couldn’t have stopped her. Another guest let her in, and you can’t have guards on every floor.”

“Perhaps we should,” the manager said, his face ashen.

“These are professional criminals. There’s no way to _ completely _ prevent crime. Even Nightwing knows that,” Dick supplied. They all watched Harley return to the elevator.

The manager switched back to that feed, and they saw her ride up another floor. Jay felt hope rising in his chest. “Look, she wasn’t tracking _ us_. She’s literally checking the whole hotel, looking for a likely Alpha. See, Talia, it really _ isn’t _ your fault…”

But when he turned to her, Talia was gone.

Jay swore, loudly and graphically enough to make the manager jump, and Dick whirled around wide-eyed. Jay flung the office door open, bolting out into the lobby, but he already knew she hadn’t just stepped out to let the manager work in peace.

Dick was at his side, his expression grim. Jay scowled. “She’s blaming herself, so she’s gonna try handling it herself. Stubborn fucking Alphas, I swear to God! She really _ is _ just like Bruce.”

“She won’t get far without a vehicle,” Dick replied, his eyes stony. “Let’s go see if we can track her down.”

He had presence of mind enough to tell the manager they were leaving, and then they both strode across the lobby. Jay’s fear and anger were rising; Talia haring off after people who specialized in kidnapping Alphas was the single _ worst _ decision she could’ve made. He was ready to insist on driving… 

But Dick’s car wasn’t where they’d left it. For a second, Dick just stared, then his expression went stony. He reached into his pocket and sighed angrily. “She lifted my keys. Jay…” 

“Don’t worry,” Jay growled. “When we catch her, _ if _ we catch her before she gets herself snatched up too, I’ll hold her so you can kick her ass.”


	55. Chapter 55

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As we get into the action arc of this story, I'm going to need to switch POV more frequently. So far we've done one character POV per chapter, for the most part. You'll start to see scene breaks, and switching between various POV, in the near future.
> 
> Hope you're still enjoying the story!

One thought chased itself around Talia’s mind, driving spikes of fear and rage through her. _ Khairah is in danger, and it’s _ ** _my_ ** _ fault. _ She had to do anything and everything to save her daughter. Her mind was too clouded by emotion, leaving her with only instinct - and instinct demanded that _ she _ take care of this. She couldn’t involve two Omegas, one of which wasn’t even hers, in what promised to be a deadly fight. The fact that either of them would be safer against Harley and Ivy than she was didn’t even occur to Talia. Taking personal responsibility was what Alphas were _ for_.

There was one person in this town who might know where Quinn and Ivy were: Oswald Cobblepot, who prided himself on being an information broker. Talia knew where to find him, and drove straight to the Iceberg Lounge, not bothering with subterfuge. Richard’s car probably had tracking devices in it, and Jay could guess where she’d go. She could only rely on having a head start, and even so her time was limited.

So she parked directly in front of the doors, and stalked up to them. The lock looked formidable, and she hit the buzzer impatiently. Her own scent almost burned her nose, heavy with rage. 

It was possible for an Alpha to go into rut without any sexual pheromones at all, sheer anger pushing them into that state of hyper-aggression. Talia had never felt it before, but she was certainly in the thick of rage-rut now. And God help anyone or anything that stood in her way.

The intercom came back with a flat, “We’re closed.”

Talia leaned close to the microphone, and growled, “I am Talia al Ghul. I intend to speak with your manager. If this door does not unlock in the next twenty seconds, I will drive through it. The car isn’t mine, anyway. Do you understand?” She ground her teeth, craving the iron tang of blood on her tongue.

A brief pause, and then the door clicked open. There were two men inside, massive and imposing, but Talia shoulder-checked the first with a low snarl of impatience. The second started to reach for her arm, but she put every ounce of command into her voice to snarl, “_Step back_.”

To their credit, they did, and she stalked inside. Very few people in the club at this hour, perhaps a handful of staff, but Cobblepot would be here. And despite the way the cold temperatures tended to dull scent, she breathed deep, trying to catch a hint of him.

He saved her the trouble, coming out from behind the bar. Talia registered someone else sitting there, too, but paid him no more attention than the two goons behind her and the three more circling in from the periphery. Only her target stood out, and Cobblepot said in a gently chiding voice, “There’s no need for this…”

Talia closed the distance between them, seized him by the lapels, and picked him up clear of the ground. With adrenaline surging through her body, she felt like she could’ve picked up a _ car _ just about now. It was easy to shove him against the nearest column and pin him there. His eyes went comically wide, and his scent spiked with fear. Cobblepot’s scent was clean and cold like fresh snow, but with an undertone of smoke. He smelled like Alpha… 

But a true Alpha would be responding to the reek of wrath coming from Talia, and she would smell either challenge or capitulation on a rising wave of odor. Cobblepot’s scent stayed exactly the same, though a note of fear crept into it. That meant he was wearing Alpha cologne, and Talia grinned ruthlessly at him. So the Alpha of the Iceberg Lounge was a fraud. That made her task easier.

His eyes narrowed, realizing she’d caught his deception, but Talia became aware of his men closing in. “Call them off if you want them to live,” she growled, her voice an octave lower than normal.

“Stand down, boys,” he said, and they obediently froze … all but one. Talia saw him from the corner of her eye, Edward Nygma, and discounted him as any serious threat. But Cobblepot’s gaze cut sideways, looking alarmed, and he snapped, “Eddie, _ no_!”

No one in Gotham called Nygma by that nickname. No one but Cobblepot, apparently, and Talia recognized the danger inherent in that familiarity. Her voice whipcracked, though her eyes never left Cobblepot. “_Halt! _ Do not even _ dream _ of attacking me, you fool.”

He skidded to a halt with the force of her command, glaring, and Cobblepot spoke quickly. “Settle down, Eddie, it’s fine. We’re all gonna give Ms. al Ghul a minute to calm down. Last I checked, I haven’t done anything to get on her bad side lately, so I’m not the one she’s got a problem with. Let’s just take a minute, okay?”

It was wise advice, but Nygma couldn’t help growling under his breath. Few Omegas could stand an insult to their Alpha, and that apparently carried over even when the Alpha wasn’t quite what he seemed. Talia turned to look at him, holding Cobblepot deliberately in place, and stared him down until he stepped back, shoulders hunched.

Cobblepot spoke, his tone level and calm as if they were sitting at his desk discussing business matters. “How can I help the Demon?”

“You are of no interest to the Demon,” Talia said disdainfully, looking back at him. “You may yet be useful to _ me_.” Which made the point that this was personal, not business, and she had no tolerance for foolishness.

“All right then, let’s talk about it,” he said with a little shrug.

Talia set him down, aware of her thundering pulse and the urge to just beat whatever he knew from him. Her fists ached with it, and she yearned for an outlet for the violence brewing in her soul. But that would make him resist, and it would take longer than simply _ asking _. He had a price, everyone did. All she had to do was find out what it was.

He made a show of brushing at his lapels, but only for a second. And then he looked at her squarely, trying to appear fearless before his men. “So. Welcome back to Gotham. I knew you’d show up if Hood did, and he made himself very obvious, two nights ago. Are you two here to do something about the Bat?”

As usual, he already knew too much. “That is not relevant. I’m _ here _ because Harley Quinn took something that belongs to me,” Talia explained, and couldn’t help the way her voice roughened. “If I get it back, promptly and undamaged, I’ll reconsider murdering Quinn slowly over the next month.”

Cobblepot looked at her shrewdly. “Word to the wise - don’t threaten Harley to her face. She just doesn’t care. Got a self-destructive streak, that one. Pam will take a threat to Harley more seriously, but she tends to overreact, so I’d be aware of that, too.”

Talia leaned in close, knowing her eyes burned with Lazarus fire in the extremity of her anger. “Do you know where Quinn and Ivy are?”

“No,” Cobblepot answered, and Talia could tell he wasn’t lying. Sheer frustration made her growl, struggling with the urge to throttle him for _ not _ knowing. Cobblepot continued quickly, “They come in here every once in a while. I can pass on the message.”

“See that you do,” Talia rumbled, and Nygma twitched forward at the threat. She wheeled on him, warning, “Try it, Nygma. I would welcome the excuse to feed you your own spleen just now.”

“_Eddie_,” Cobblepot said forcefully. He spoke to Talia then, sounding conciliatory. “I’m assuming you know that Quinn and Ivy have it out for every Alpha in Gotham. You shouldn’t try to run this alone, Talia.”

“It’s my responsibility,” she shot back, then forced herself to look at her options. She _ had _ to find Quinn, before Jay and Richard showed up to counsel patience. They had to be tracking the car. So she turned to Cobblepot and said, “I need a vehicle. The car out front isn’t mine; I expect someone will show up to collect it shortly.”

“I recognize Detective Grayson’s car,” Cobblepot told her. “Don’t tell me where you’re going, so I can tell him I don’t know. But I’ve got a car you can use.”

He was being _ helpful_, when he really didn’t need to be, and manners had been too deeply ingrained in Talia not to respond to that. She inclined her head slightly, and thanked him, knowing all the while that he had his own reasons for doing so. A moment later, she was on the road again, driving with the windows down. 

The best way of finding her enemies was to make them come to her.


	56. Chapter 56

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tomorrow is going to be an unusually busy day for me, so I'm going to post early. Also, hello and welcome, FanGirl48. I woke up the other day to reviews on every chapter of this fic and the prequel - that really touches my heart. I love knowing that people are finding and enjoying this fic.
> 
> Thank you all!

The hotel manager had loaned them his car when Dick presented his badge, but he’d put the keys in Dick’s hand, so Jay could only sit in the passenger seat drumming his fingers with impatience. Babs had tracking on Dick’s car, and by the time they left the hotel, they knew where she was headed. “The Iceberg,” Dick said. 

“If anyone knows where Harley and Ivy are, it’s Penguin,” Jay said, his chest tight. Talia wasn’t just throwing caution to the wind, he could tell. She was in one of her rare fatalistic self-blaming moods where she would actively court disaster, and he just hoped they could catch her at the Iceberg.

The car was still there, and his heart leaped at the sight. Dick hadn’t even parked when Jay bailed out, following the trail of Talia’s scent right up to the front doors.

One of Penguin’s goons opened it as he arrived, and Jay was so surprised he stumbled across the threshold. All of a sudden he realized this could be a trap, his hands diving for his weapons.

“Relax, Hood,” Penguin said. He’d been sitting at the bar in earnest conversation with Nygma, and rose as they arrived. And when Dick barreled right in behind Jay, Penguin added, “You too, Nightwing. You just missed her; Talia’s already gone.”

They both paused at that. They’d gone to the hotel in civilian clothes, but it didn’t surprise Jay that Penguin knew their real identities. So instead of backing down, he kept his hand on his gun. “Why the fuck should I believe you?”

“She’s driving my car,” Penguin explained. “Come on, gentlemen. You really think I’d stand in the way of the Demon when she’s half out of her mind with rage? Whatever it was Harley stole from her, I almost feel sorry for the jester when the Demon catches up.”

“We don’t have time for games,” Dick said. “Where did she go? Where are Harley and Ivy?”

“I don’t know,” Penguin replied, and raised his hands when Jay growled. “She wanted to find them, too, and was plenty mad when I didn’t know. I’m guessing she’s got some kind of plan to draw them out.”

Jay scoffed. “Yeah, they’re the ones kidnapping Alphas all over town. Fucking hell, she’s gonna try to get them to take her. I just know it.”

Penguin shook his head. “I figured you’d be along shortly, but I wasn’t gonna try to stall her. I like my skin intact, gentlemen.”

“How do we track your car?” Dick said.

He gave them the plate number, and added, “I disabled the GPS and everything that comes with it so the car can run under the radar. Even if I had tracking on it, she’d find it and pull it.”

“Yeah, she would,” Jay muttered, raking a hand through his hair. This was a fucking mess all around. “And she knows six dozen ways to disappear, when she wants to.”

“We’re going to have to find Harley,” Dick said grimly. “We might as well reconvene with everyone else. I’ll call Oracle, maybe she can find us a lead.”

Jay looked at Penguin, itching to smack him around some for not being more helpful, but then Cobblepot spoke up. “I told her Harley and Pam come in here, on occasion. She wanted me to let them know she’ll consider not slaughtering them if they return whatever it is Harley took. I can put the word out, generally, so if _ anyone _ on our side sees them, they’ll call me.”

“And then you’ll call us. What do you want for that favor, Penguin?” Dick asked, his voice harsh.

Penguin barked a laugh. “I want the Demon to _ not _ burn down my city, that’s all. Harley didn’t steal some_thing_, did she? She kidnapped some_one _ Talia cares about. And I definitely don’t want to be in her way.”

“We’ll owe you one,” Jay said, as noncommittal as possible, and gave Penguin the number to his burner phone. 

“She also left the keys to your car,” Penguin said, and tossed them to Dick.

He caught them with a scowl, and said, “Can I trust you to get the hotel manager’s car back to him without causing trouble?”

“Kid, I want to be _ invisible _ right now,” Penguin scoffed. “We’ll get it back without even running a stop sign.”

Jay saw Dick waver, and then he handed over the keys, giving the hotel name with a terse addition of, “Don’t make me regret this.” Then they left in a hurry, headed back to the Manor where their uniforms were, and Dick was already updating Babs as they slid behind the wheel of his car.

He ended the call by giving Babs the number for the cell phone Talia was using, and then looked over at Jay. “You gonna be okay, Jaybird?”

“No,” he said with a jagged laugh. “Shit, my kid’s missing, she’s been kidnapped by someone I _ know _ isn’t even in the same zip code as sane, and now my Alpha’s out there trying to hunt them down on her own. If Talia went through the Iceberg like a bull in a china shop, she’s not in her right mind, either.”

“We’re going to get them both back,” Dick said.

“Oh, we are,” Jay said flatly. “Come hell or high water. I gotta tell you, bro, if either of them gets hurt, the no-kill rule goes right out the window.”

Dick frowned, but he knew better than to argue. “We’re going to find them. And Harley’s no match for Talia.”

“It’s not Harley I’m worried about,” Jay said darkly. Deep in his heart, a cold spot was growing, fear at the core of his anger. “We steer clear of metas like Ivy for a reason. If she poisons Talia, I’m gonna come after her with industrial-strength Round-Up.” 

“We’ll get them both back,” Dick promised, and not even he had an alternative.

…

Once they were gone, Oswald tossed the keys and caught them. “I’ll drive the manager’s car back. Eddie, follow me in yours. I need to make some calls.”

“We’re really helping them?” Edward said with a frown. “For _ nothing_?”

“You remember when Hood there went nuts on Batman, damn near killed Black Mask, and wrecked the drug trade in this town for half a year? You remember how long it took for the mob and the gangs to settle back down again?” Oswald asked.

“Yeah,” Edward replied. 

“Good. Now remember he’s the _ junior _ partner of the pair. And Talia al Ghul is so angry she’s being _ direct_. That set usually runs on subterfuge and misdirection. No way in hell do I want to see what she’d do if she decides to flush Harley out of hiding. Not to mention, _ Batman _ can’t stop her. I’m getting the hell out of their way, and if they all feel like they owe me a favor once this is done, that’s fine, I’ll collect.”

Edward shivered a little at that thought, and they set out.


	57. Chapter 57

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is the first one from Khairah's POV, but it won't be the last. Also, updated the chapter count again. It is still an approximation, but I'm sure we're gonna go over seventy.

Khairah woke up with a headache, her eyes dry and gritty-feeling, her tongue like sandpaper. Trying to swallow made her throat click painfully, her mouth tasting sour. She sat up, savagely thirsty, and peered at her surroundings through bleary vision.

This was a narrow little room, barely more than a closet, with a drain in the floor at one end and a sink bolted to the wall at the front. No bed, just a foam mattress, and the whole room smelled like that cleaning fluid at the hotel.

The hotel … Khairah knew she wasn’t there any more. And her memories of leaving were hazy. There’d been a persistent knock at the door, and she’d gone to tell the maid to leave her alone. Then the most _ bewitching _ odor struck her, one that seemed to climb right up her nostrils and into her brain from the first whiff. She’d been utterly intoxicated with it, like the time six months ago when she’d gone out with the scouting party and the older Omegas had passed the hookah to her on a celebratory evening. Only it hadn’t been shisha, something stronger than mere tobacco. It had made her feel light-headed and dizzy and very calm, and she’d never told Hadiyah because she didn’t want the scouts to get in trouble. Her mother disapproved of hashish in general, though she hadn’t outright banned it from al-Hirz, and it had only been the once, anyway. 

Khairah’s recollection of leaving the hotel room was like those smoke-addled memories, like the top of her head had come off and she’d floated pleasantly along above her body while the delicious-smelling stranger led her. Nothing had seemed out of the ordinary or alarming about the encounter, as if it was to be expected that a strange Omega would turn up at her door and escort her away. Only now did she tremble with fear, and check her pockets for a phone or a weapon, fruitlessly. 

They were empty. Her captors had not left her so much as a coin, with which she might have unscrewed the drain cover.

She was trapped. And she’d heard enough of Jay and Talia talking about the problems in Gotham to guess that whoever was kidnapping Alphas there had taken her, too.

Part of Khairah wanted to curl up in the far corner and whimper with fear. Alphas were being driven mad, or dying, and she didn’t have a weapon in here to even try to defend herself. They’d taken the knives she carried, and there wasn’t even anything she could improvise with.

Part of her was slowly becoming furious. With herself, and her captors. She was the Demon’s daughter, wasn’t she? She shouldn’t have been such easy prey for them. But at the same time, they shouldn’t have _ dared _ to target her.

Khairah heard footsteps outside, murmured conversation, and quickly laid back down in as close to the same position she’d woken up in as possible. She closed her eyes and forced her body to relax, shamming sleep. Anything she could learn about her captors that they didn’t know she knew could be an advantage.

The voices were two women, and they fell silent outside her door. Khairah’s skin prickled, feeling those unwelcome stares fixed on her through the small window. Still, she didn’t move or react, trying to maintain the illusion of sleep.

“Look at ‘er, Pam,” one woman said, her voice only slightly muffled by the door. That was the blonde who had come to the hotel room smelling like an houri. Utterly divine, completely enchanting. Khairah couldn’t catch her scent now, and was grateful. The woman continued, “She’s just a kid.”

“Old enough to react to heat-scent,” the other woman replied. So that one was Pam, and Khairah wished she dared open her eyes, hoping to match a face to the voice. Low, contemplative, a little husky. 

“Yeah, but she’s not more than four or five years older than Lucy,” the first voice. “I kinda felt bad, takin’ her. That room smelled like a real big Alpha, y’know, completely unsuppressed. Just … _ oof_. Whoever it was made Mistah J smell like a Beta. I was hoping to get _ that _ one. No one else in the hotel was as strong. And I ended up with the kid instead.”

Pam replied musingly, “Perhaps it’s her father. Or her sire. Don’t worry, Harley. We might still be able to find that Alpha. And if not, we’re doing this girl a favor.”

Khairah gritted her teeth at that. Whatever they were doing was no _ favor_, they just told themselves that. She was only fifteen, and she already understood that much about adults’ self-deceptions. 

“Only if it works,” Harley replied, sounding dubious.

“The formula _ should _ work,” Pam insisted. “Perhaps the problems we’ve had with the others were because they were too old. With this girl, we have a chance to stop it before she’s grown accustomed.”

Harley sighed. “Yeah. Maybe. I just … she looks so sad. Not like the rest.”

A pause, and then Pam said, “You’re too compassionate for your own good, Harleen. Don’t we _ both _ know never to trust an Alpha? We know what they are.”

Khairah wanted to shout, _ You know nothing about me!_ But she waited, burning in furious silence, as their voices moved off. And then waited a few more minutes just to be sure.

Then she let anger propel her to her feet, overriding the earlier fear. Khairah went to the sink first, turning it on and letting the water run for a moment. It smelled all right, and she cupped her hands in the stream, drinking deeply.

Next she inspected the door, which had no knob or hinges on her side. There was a window set in it, but that was reinforced with wire, and even with her nose pressed against the glass, Khairah couldn’t see much of the hallway outside. There was another door across the way, much like hers.

Khairah dropped to her knees, noticing a letter slot set low in the door. She poked it open carefully, listening for any disturbance caused by the motion.

The hallway was quiet, but scent drifted in, and Khairah recoiled so fast the letter slot banged shut with a metallic clack. More of that floral cleanser smell, but it couldn’t completely hide the stink of multiple Alphas in rut. The scent coated the back of her throat like greasy smoke from burnt cooking oil, turning the air heavy and sour. Khairah coughed and sneezed, backing away from the door. There were a _ lot _ of Alphas here, and most of them smelled like lust and rage.

She had never actually been around many Alphas. Oh, she’d encountered them occasionally on scouting trips, met traders who happened to be Alpha, but until Talia arrived in her life like a meteor impact, Khairah had never spent any significant time around an Alpha. Nor had she ever seen more than perhaps three in the same room. Her nose was telling her now that there were eight or more somewhere nearby, and every one of them stank of rut. It was a scent with unpleasant associations for Khairah.

Growing up in al-Hirz, her home was a sanctuary free of Alphas … until she turned out to _ be _ one. There were blood tests that could determine designation early, but al-Hirz didn’t have the medical facilities for that. No one had known until she ‘presented’, as people said of an Alpha’s first rut - or an Omega’s first heat. Khairah had been thirteen, when it happened to her, and the tumblers of memory turned, spilling the past into the present.


	58. Chapter 58

Jay and Dick called to report the situation as soon as they left the Iceberg, along with the fact that they were headed back. They didn’t bother going back into the house; Dick parked his car in the garage, Jay grabbed his uniform and a few other things out of their car’s trunk, and the two of them took one of the secret entrances to the Batcave, meeting up with everyone else there. They were all in the process of getting ready to go out again, it looked like, and Jay decided this was no time for modesty. Dropping his bag on a convenient table, he shucked his shirt and started changing into body armor. Dick had gone to get his own Nightwing suit and do the same.

No one batted an eyelash, too focused on their own tasks. Babs had taken over the main computer, all of its screens taken up by surveillance videos. “Talia’s already ditched Penguin’s car,” the redhead informed them. “I don’t have coverage on this alley - she drove in, and hasn’t come out. I’m searching surrounding streets to see if she took another one.”

“She’ll only do the same thing again,” Jay said grimly. “She _ knows _ you have cameras all over town. She won’t keep any vehicle for very long. And if she makes enough swaps out of camera range, she can lose you in all the possibilities.”

“We cannot track Talia. She’s more highly trained in subterfuge than any of us,” Bruce said, and to Jay’s surprise he was in uniform. Doc Leslie and Alfred, at one of the smaller computers, both looked thoroughly disapproving, but no one had said anything.

“If we want to stop her, we have to get in front of her,” Tim added, still pulling on his gauntlets. “We need to find Harley and Ivy before she does.”

“Easier said than done,” Babs told them grimly. “I’ve got a general side of town, thanks to Bruce, and I have bots scraping property records and facial recognition programs searching cameras, but we don’t know where their hideout is.”

Jay scowled. “Okay, so no one is gonna mention the fact that Bruce has no business getting back in the field this fast?”

“Oh, we mentioned it,” Selina said acidly, adjusting her mask. “Not that it did much good.”

“Stubborn,” Cass put in.

Bruce glanced at them all, then looked back to Jay. “You both were here to help me. I can’t sit this one out.”

“That’s all noble and shit, but Bruce, you _ just _ got your right mind back this morning,” Jay pointed out. “If you get drugged up again, who knows what it’ll do to you?”

“Major cardiac infarct, most likely,” Doc Leslie supplied, her voice flat with anger. “Or a massive stroke.”

“Duly noted,” Bruce said. “But Talia is a powerful Alpha, completely unsuppressed, and from your description of her behavior at the Iceberg Lounge, likely in rage-rut. You’re going to need another Alpha to contain her, and I’m the only one you have.”

That was annoyingly true, and Jay frowned. Steph had come into the room then, flipping her hood up, and asked, “Okay, this is the first time I’ve heard of rage-rut. Clue me in?”

“It’s rare, especially with as common as suppressants are these days. But it presents a lot like what the kidnapped Alphas have been going through,” Dick said thoughtfully.

Jay shook his head, putting it in terms Steph might be familiar with. “You ever been in heat and someone scared or threatened you?”

“Yeah,” Steph said warily. 

She knew, all right. Crown Point, same as ever - there were always dangers there. “You remember the moment when you suddenly snapped from wanting to go curl up in some Alpha’s arms so they’d protect you, to wanting to rip the balls off the fucker stupid enough to screw with you?” Jay asked.

A longer pause, and he couldn’t see Steph’s expression behind her cowl, but her shoulders slumped a little. “Uh-oh.”

Jay had more than a few memories of defending himself during his first couple heats, and he nodded. “Yeah, kinda like that. Only for Alphas, when they get pissed enough that the hormones turn from sex to violence, they’ll go out _ looking _ for someone to beat up. Talia’s not completely out of control - Penguin still has all his limbs - but she’s spoiling for a fight.”

“We still need to rein her in,” Dick said, coming back into the room. “If Ivy catches her like this, whatever she’s doing to the kidnapped Alphas is going to have an even worse effect.”

Jay shuddered, and tried to hide it by shrugging his leather jacket on. Meanwhile Tim spoke up. “We still have the sedative canisters we used on Bruce. Talia _ knows _ about them, but if we can tag-team her like we did with Bruce, we might be able to knock her down.”

“Let me try to talk sense to her first,” Jay said. “Talia’s _ not _ out of it. Just stubborn and violent and scared spitless over the kid. Even if she was that far gone, she’d be liable to consider us backup, not adversaries.”

They all looked at him, considering, and finally Bruce nodded. “You know her best.”

That was … startling to hear, and oddly welcome. Babs, however, said thoughtfully, “You know we all live by contingencies. What’s your plan if you’re wrong?”

Jay chuckled at that. “If all else fails, I can still handle her. There’s something about that whole ‘your Omega is different’ thing, guys. I was right there at Talia’s side the last time she had to be resurrected, and Bruce, you _ know _ Lazarus fever is no joke. I literally had to pry her fingers off a guy’s throat, but she just snarled at me. No matter what, Talia won’t hurt _ me_.”

“Then _ you _ get to carry the sedatives,” Dick said, giving him a wry smile.

Meanwhile Cass cocked her head. “Plainclothes,” she pointed out, reminding Jay that Talia had slipped away without her armor. Cass glanced around, seeing all of them react, and asked, “Armed?”

“Always,” Jay replied. “Even in a business suit, she carries a pistol and at least two knives. More likely four or five, she’s got a thing about always having a blade handy. Maybe a sap or a garrotte, it depends. We don’t go unarmed anywhere. She’s also probably got our standard kit, which includes lock picks and filters.”

Most of them frowned, though Cass only nodded. Babs spoke up before anyone could comment on the precariousness of life in the League of Shadows. “I’ve got a list of potential locations.”

“Let’s go,” Bruce said.

Jay jammed his helmet on, and tried not to think about the fact that they were all rolling out in broad daylight. Weren’t bats by day some kind of ill-omen?


	59. Chapter 59

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you were wondering what it's like to present as Alpha, Khairah has your answer.

Khairah huddled on the thin mattress, remembering. Her life had been blissful, up until her thirteenth year. She was like any other girl in al-Hirz, and Hadiyah was careful to ensure that she didn’t feel isolated because her mother was their leader. For a while she’d been the pet and darling of the entire settlement, with every Omega ready to give her a fond word or a hug. Khairah had felt so safe that she’d never really understood danger; she could walk into any home and be invited to a meal, and any activity she expressed an interest in would quickly find a willing mentor. By the time she was a preteen, she was a quick study, a voracious reader, and an exceptionally well-spoken child, the legacy of having interacted largely with adults.

As it happened, there were no children her own age. She’d been the first child born in al-Hirz, the next oldest baby born three years later. And most of the Omegas who came to the sanctuary were older than she was. The next youngest person was a Beta boy two years older than Khairah who had traveled with his mother.

So when she first began to feel the peculiar mix of infatuation and protectiveness that she later learned to associate with rut, of course it had to be someone embarrassingly older than herself. Khairah just recently turned thirteen; Janan, the Omega woman she fixated on, had been _ twenty_. And yet for days Khairah made excuses to be in her presence, finding her every word and gesture fascinating. At the time, she’d considered Janan a wonderful friend, and her bemused mind had been fixed on ways to convince her that they were _ best _ friends. She woke early to sweep the walk in front of Janan’s house, brought her flowers and pastries, and somehow managed to get herself invited to her family’s dinner four days out of seven.

Even in retrospect, it was mortifying. Janan had thought her a charming child, and no more. Khairah hadn’t had the chance to realize how her own feelings were changing. Everything happened too abruptly.

Janan had another friend, an Omega man of twenty-three named Rami. Khairah had known him for several years, but suddenly his very existence seemed to annoy her. She begrudged him every moment he spent with Janan, and on the frequent occasions they both dined with Janan’s family, Khairah managed to be civil only because her mother expected it of her. She _ was _ the daughter of their leader, and represented Hadiyah in everything she did.

She should have seen it coming. Janan and Rami spent more and more time together, but Khairah had taken to hanging around in Janan’s family’s garden in the evenings, talking to her over a last cup of tea and enjoying the fragrant herbs. One night, Janan simply wasn’t there, even as the sun sank lower in the sky, and Khairah had gone looking for her.

Janan had come into heat that morning, and Khairah had only left her side because Hadiyah insisted that she come home and finish her chores. When she finally returned and found Janan missing, she’d had a vague idea that her friend might be in some trouble. She’d even thought pleasantly of rescuing her, from something not _ too _ dangerous. Just enough to show that Khairah was brave and strong beyond her years.

The trail of her scent was so easy to follow, Khairah wound her way through the market with no problem. And then toward one of the permanent springs in the mountainside. And then veering off the path, using all of the skill the scouts had taught her to weave silently through the broken rock and brush, until she’d found the sheltered little hollow where Janan had stopped.

With Rami pressed against her, kissing her urgently, Janan panting hotly between kisses, his hands running ceaselessly over her clothes. For a long moment Khairah had watched, flushed hot with betrayal, unreasonably furious with them both. Hot from more than just anger, her body electric as if she’d drunk too much strong coffee, her hands trembling and her vision blurring as adrenaline coursed through her body.

Khairah had no idea that what she felt was _ rut_, her first, fierce and strong. Her body had been undergoing gradual changes that she assumed were just part of growing up; everyone said things changed, at puberty. Her quick temper seemed like ordinary adolescent moodiness. But with the scent of Omega heat strong in her nose, her endocrine system was responding rapidly, flooding her system with hormones, altering her scent glands. The more obvious physical changes would follow soon after; an Alpha’s first rut changed their scent, and their minds.

And it still might have come to nothing, if Janan hadn’t whimpered aloud, “Ohh, Rami … we shouldn’t be doing this…” 

Khairah paid no attention to the yearning tone, or the way Janan clutched his biceps and tugged him closer. She heard it as refusal, and saw Rami push in closer, nudging Janan’s hijab aside to mouth her neck. Janan’s gasp and high-pitched cry sounded like pain to Khairah, not the pleasure it actually was.

She’d broken cover and lunged at Rami, snarling, driving her elbow into his ribs and knocking him away from Janan. Khairah hadn’t been _ thinking _ beyond the notion of protecting her friend. And when Janan cried out again, it was indisputably shock and fear, making Khairah’s heart beat like a drum in her outrage.

Only much later did Khairah realize Janan was afraid of _ her_. The scent of rutting Alpha was enough to terrify both of them, and though Rami held his hands out, saying, “Khairah, wait, what are you doing?” she hadn’t listened. She hadn’t _ cared_, charging at him in a reckless fury. Rami had ten years and a foot of height over her, but she drove him back down the path to the city, snarling like a wildcat all the way.

Everyone in al-Hirz knew how to fight. Hadiyah had decreed that violence would be their last resort … but even she knew they might have to protect themselves at bloody cost someday. So Khairah had been in training from childhood, showing a strong aptitude for martial arts. Rami _ should _ have been able to hold her off, being older and stronger, but the force of Khairah’s rage had him running as fast as he could, shouting for help.

The guards - the very same guards who slipped candy to her and let her ride on their shoulders when she was small - had knocked her to the dusty street and held her down, Khairah struggling and growling threats even with a staff pressed to her throat. She hadn’t stopped until Hadiyah came to her rescue, holding her tight and wrapping the end of her chador around Khairah’s head. Half-smothered in fabric heavy with her mother’s scent, the wrath had begun to bleed away.

By then, what felt like half the settlement was up in arms, circling ominously around them. Khairah had heard people she’d known all her life crying out, “_Alpha!_” as if it were the worst insult in the world, even worse than the graphic and improbable terms the mechanics used on recalcitrant machinery. She’d heard them demanding that she be banished on the spot, and she’d clung to Hadiyah, shivering in fear.

Hadiyah had stood tall among her people, unafraid, and said simply, “Khairah is my daughter. If you banish her, you banish me as well.”

Silence fell, as all her people shuffled their feet, embarrassed. After a pause, Hadiyah continued, “She is Alpha. She had no more choice in that than any of us did in being Omega or Beta. Are we barbarians, to cast her out for the circumstances of her birth? And what of the other children born here, whose sires were Alpha? Will we turn them out into the world for what they did not ask to be?”

“She attacked Rami!” someone shouted, and Khairah had flinched, not daring to stand. She wrapped her arms around Hadiyah’s leg, still hiding her face under her mother’s cloak.

Janan had pushed her way to the center of the group then. “It wasn’t her fault! Khairah … misheard us, talking. We were only joking, but she thought she was protecting me. She’s only a _ child_. It wasn’t her fault.”

Khairah hadn’t dared to look at her, but she could smell Janan, and her mouth watered. Everyone in the group must have seen the state of Janan’s clothing, seen her blushing face, and known _ exactly _ what Khairah had interrupted. At that moment, Khairah wanted to burrow into the ground and hide, so she never had to face Janan again. _ Only a child _ rang in her ears like mockery.

“She didn’t hurt me. She only startled me,” Rami said, trying to save face. He’d been _ afraid_, and he was a good man, besides, not someone Khairah should have attacked for so flimsy and false a reason. Part of her still wanted to growl at him for discounting her as a threat.

Hadiyah had put her hand on Khairah’s head, protectively. “Khairah will learn to control her instincts, just as we did. This will _ not _ happen again. I promised al-Hirz would be safety for us all - _ and our children_.”

The crowd had dispersed, Hadiyah had sent Janan away gently when she would have spoken to Khairah, and then she’d tugged Khairah to her feet and led her home. Only after she’d bathed and drunk a mug of sweet mint tea did Hadiyah talk to her, with as much kindness and understanding as possible, but she’d been very clear that no more such incidences could occur, for everyone’s safety. It had been similar to Jay’s talk, later, though not as blunt, and more embarrassing for coming from her _ mother_. Khairah had blushed through the whole conversation, and gone to bed feeling like an outcast in the city of her birth.

In the two years since, Khairah had still never spoken to Janan, her heart growing heavy with guilt and embarrassment at the mere mention of the woman’s name. She _ had _ learned to control herself around Omegas in heat, knowing the cost of failure would fall on herself and her mother alike. Knowing, too, that Hadiyah had not chosen her sire, and not wanting to be the cause of any such grief. 

It had not been easy - especially not when some of the Omega women close to her age had begun flirting with her as she grew older. None of them were within an appropriate span of years for it to be more than teasing talk and a few stolen kisses … but some of them found her Alpha scent as irresistible as she found their heat-scent, and Khairah knew the ache of yearning all too well.

At least, they thought so when they were actively in heat. There were too many in al-Hirz who were cautious in her presence, always watching warily for the first sign of typical Alpha violence. Khairah resented that, and bit back her irritation, trying to present a calm, stoic face to the world. Not succeeding as often as she wanted to, either.

Only in the last few months had Khairah finally understood how much the scent of Omegas in heat was woven into her life, now that she lived with her Alpha sire, a fully-suppressed Omega, and their servants who were all Betas. It felt like her mind was finally clear, like she could stretch out and discover who she was beyond the restrictions of trying not to be a threat to everyone she knew. Like she’d been living in a cage and someone had finally swung the door wide, releasing her to find her joy and strength in running free.

And now, thanks to that intoxicating Omega heat-scent clouding her mind again, she was trapped in a _ literal _ cell. Captured by people who’d never met her, solely because she was Alpha. Khairah could hate herself for weakness, or be angry at fate for making her so. She could hate Omegas for being so fearful, for thinking all Alphas were the same. 

But her _ mother _ was an Omega, and the bravest person Khairah knew. Likewise her sire was Alpha, and fiercely honorable. Neither of them would resort to blaming anyone or anything for this predicament. One thing Khairah knew both parents had in common, they would focus on finding a way _ out_.

Jason Todd wouldn’t rage at fate, either. He was too cunning and too practical for that. Khairah heard his voice in her mind, wishing he was by her side. _ Look for any advantage. Keep still, keep quiet, listen and look and _ ** _learn_**_. No one is perfect, these people will make a mistake sometime. _

And Talia’s voice, too. _ You are precious to me, daughter._ They would be coming after her. No power on Earth could stop them.

Khairah took heart, and set about examining her cell again. There had to be _ some _ point of weakness.


	60. Chapter 60

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, friends, I don't have as much time to write as I'd like, and I've lost most of my lead. I'm going to go to posting once per week until I finish the story. I figure you'd rather have one guaranteed chapter each Friday, than maybe miss a week of posting if I run out of chapters.
> 
> Finishing out a fic is always difficult, for me anyway. I've got several plot threads to wrap up and I want to make sure it hits the right notes.

Talia had muddied her trail, knowing the rest would track her. And they would _ stop _ her from killing Harley Quinn, which currently felt like the only thing that could ease her guilt and calm her rage. So she left them behind, and relied on her own resources.

She stopped into a corner store and bought a cell phone with plenty of minutes available, keeping her voice level through the transaction by monumental effort of will. The clerk could smell her, of course, and his wide, frightened gaze only fanned the flames of Talia’s anger. Heading out of the shop and immediately ducking into alleys where Barbara had no surveillance cameras, Talia called a number she knew by heart.

The League of Assassins had many high-profile warriors, but few realized that it ran on the efficiency of largely-anonymous support staff. This particular line was always monitored, to be used only in case of emergencies, and the number was not saved or written down anywhere. Only a handful of people had it memorized.

The voice that answered spoke in Arabic, lightly accented, and Talia answered in the same tongue, verifying her identity by a series of codes. Once that was done, and the man on the other end of the line had asked how he might serve, Talia replied, “I need a list of every sighting of Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy over the past … three years, within fifty miles of Gotham City. Also all significant locations relating to police cases involving either of the pair. I’ll need that delivered to this number in the form of a heat map showing most frequented locales.”

“It will be done,” came the confident response. “Do you require material support in Gotham City?”

Material support meant boots on the ground, and Talia _ did _ have assets in the United States. Not many, but enough. Even through the red haze of wrath, she didn’t want to bring them to Bruce’s city. Not yet, anyway. “Not at this time. Prepare a retrieval strategy for the Los Angeles team; if I do need help, I’ll want them on their way _ quickly_.”

With one more assurance, Talia hung up, and then got moving again. She couldn’t afford to remain in one place. This was a reasonably middle-class area, and she doubted Quinn would be here. It would be too difficult to hide a laboratory and prisoners here; she needed someplace more industrial, perhaps.

While waiting, she did some research of her own, identifying the kinds of neighborhoods her quarry would need. And heading for the closest. Talia drove slowly, windows down, watching the streets. Poison Ivy generally left a few signs of her presence, and a sudden profusion of foliage in these mostly concrete and asphalt regions would be telltale. There weren’t many people in the areas she was searching, and the ones who were there looked back at her warily. 

Sitting at a stop light, Talia drummed her fingers on the wheel impatiently, and her phone chirped. She pulled into the curb to download the information her people had sent, and smiled. This neighborhood was one where Harley and Ivy had been sighted, but not one of their known hideouts; whatever they were doing with these Alphas required secrecy, and she assumed her enemies had sense enough not to pick an obvious location. She was looking for areas with an occasional sighting, or none at all.

This list would be a start, at least, but Talia knew that finding them was going to be difficult. It was far more likely that Harley or Ivy would find _ her _, and she welcomed that. She was counting on it, really. Riding with the windows down, and getting out on foot to check the more promising areas, would leave her scent for them to find.

If they wanted to kidnap an Alpha, they could start with _ her_.

…

“Chow time!” a voice sang out. Khairah realized after a moment that it was the blonde, Harley. She pressed herself against the wall, watching the door; despite increasingly desperate searches, there was _ nothing _ in this room that could be a weapon. And no means of escape, either - even if she’d had a lock pick, the mechanism wasn’t accessible. 

The prospect of a meal was heartening, though; it was unlikely they’d give her a knife, but even a spoon could be sharpened to a point, with time and patience. The back wall of her cell was brick beneath a layer of flaking paint, and that would do for a sharpening surface.

She had to appear cowed for now; the more they underestimated her, the more likely they were to make a mistake. So Khairah huddled in on herself, trying to look pitiful.

As Harley made her way up the corridor, Khairah could hear the food slots clacking closed, and the snarls of other Alphas. Assuming one portion per cell, there were nine others in here.

Her cell was the last, and the one across from her seemed empty. She looked up at the window, trying to make her gaze seem more frightened than she was.

Harley glanced in, and their eyes met. The blonde’s were pale blue, and without scent clouding her mind, Khairah noticed details she’d missed. Harley’s hair was _ white_, not blonde, and her skin was almost as fair. Her features were attractive, but her coloring was so light that she appeared ghostly, and Khairah didn’t have to fake a shiver. 

Those blue eyes softened in pity, and when the food slot opened, Khairah pitched her voice higher and softer than normal. “Why are you doing this?”

No answer except a paper plate being pushed through the slot, with a grilled cheese sandwich on it. Khairah _ was _ hungry, and took it, not wanting her captor to drop it … then hesitated, realizing it might be drugged.

She looked up again, and caught Harley lingering, looking through the window at her. “We’re not gonna hurt you,” she said, her voice sad. “We’re just gonna fix what’s wrong.”

“Nothing’s wrong with me,” Khairah said, stepping back from the door.

Harley didn’t answer, moving on. That left Khairah with her stomach rumbling, and she picked apart the sandwich, examining it for any signs of treachery. It didn’t appear to have any traces of drugs, but she knew her search was only cursory. In the end, hunger won, and she ate with no ill effects.

Further up the hall, two of the other Alphas got into a growling match, the letter slots in their doors clacking loudly as they sniffed and snarled. Eventually the main door opened, and Khairah heard Pam’s voice. “Quiet down, or _ be _ quieted,” she said warningly.

Every Alpha in the cells growled, the sound making Khairah shiver. But they did fall silent. Only now the silent had a different texture, pregnant with threat, and Khairah imagined a bunch of Alphas she couldn’t see, all plotting to murder their captors.

She really, _ really _ hoped that Talia and Jay would get here soon.


	61. Chapter 61

The Batmobile only seated two, unless someone rode in the reinforced cargo compartment where Batman transported criminals. Tim, Cass, and Steph had all taken their motorcycles instead, and Jay was riding with Dick, which left Bruce and Selina in the Batmobile.

“You know this is stupid, right?” Selina asked as soon as they pulled out.

“It’s what must be done,” Bruce countered.

“If you get yourself killed on this mission, I’m going to find a medium to raise your spirit just so I can tell you how pissed off I am,” she warned. “Or one of those voodoo priestesses. Catch your soul in a bottle so I can shake it up whenever I’m reminded of how I lost you.”

Still, the threats made him smile briefly. “It has to be me, Catwoman,” he said. Batman only used codenames in the field, never real names.

She only made a scoffing noise, her claws clicking against the window frame. Bruce glanced at her. “Why did _ you _ volunteer to come hunting an unsuppressed, out-of-control Alpha with an extensive history of killing?”

“I kinda like her,” Selina admitted. “Once you get past all the Alpha bravado, she seems almost as protective as you. She went out of her way to be nice to me.”

“She also threatened you to get my attention,” Bruce pointed out.

Selina rolled her eyes. “Yeah, no. I’ve been threatened, and that wasn’t it. She just needed me to make a noise and alert you. I’m pretty sure anyone the Demon’s ever threatened _ stayed _ threatened for a good long time.”

Bruce made a noncommittal noise at that. 

Selina looked out the window, thinking that all of them were worried about this confrontation. She was, too, no matter what she said to Bruce. Facing Talia in a fury was a daunting prospect. Selina hoped that Jay was right, that she was more in control than most Alphas would be.

…

En route to the side of town Bruce thought Harley had taken him to, Jay made a call to the League of Assassins. He was riding with Dick again, content to let someone a little cooler-headed do the driving, and he figured the call was necessary, even if Talia wouldn’t like anyone overhearing League business. As far as he was concerned, finding her safe trumped any kind of secrecy.

After verifying his identity, he switched to English so as not to raise Dick’s suspicions. “The Demon may be compromised,” he said. The agent who’d answered stifled a gasp, and Jay continued, “She is in pursuit of a metahuman with perception-altering powers. I understand where your loyalties lie, but it is in her best interest that I be kept informed of any communications from her.”

“Of course, sir,” the response came back promptly.

Which wasn’t actually agreement, but the League didn’t put a lot of faith in anyone other than its leader. Jay had never wanted to be venerated, the way they all did Talia. Still, he asked, “Has she contacted you?”

A brief pause, and then, “The Demon requested information, yes.”

Jay sighed. If she was thinking ahead, then hopefully she was still in control enough to evade Poison Ivy. “Please forward that data to me at this number,” he said.

Another pause, and the agent said, “We were not instructed to include you in the briefing.”

By then, Jay had figured out which of their people was on the phone, and this man was one of the longest-serving retainers. “Here’s the deal, Mehmet. She’s not informing _ me _ because she’s being a stubborn Alpha about trying to handle this alone. Talia knows I wouldn’t let her run off and challenge Poison Ivy by herself, but she feels like she has to, so she did it anyway. I don’t trust her judgment right now. The question is, do you trust mine? And do you trust that I would _ never _ betray her, even if my life was at stake?”

A long pause, as the man weighed whatever orders he’d been given against what he knew of Jay. If Talia had specifically said _ not _ to share the information, Jay wouldn’t get it no matter what. But then, Mehmet would have said so, instead of pointing out that they hadn’t been told to share it. It was his judgment call to make.

And Jay hoped, no matter how professional they tried to be in front of other people, that Mehmet knew they were lovers. That might tip the balance.

“I’m sending the information now,” he finally said.

“Thank you,” Jay replied gratefully, and signed off. 

He was already creating a one-time-use email when Dick said, “Forward that message to Babs.”

“I will, but I’m using anonymous email. I love you guys, but I don’t want you to have access to internal League phone numbers or emails. The last thing I need is for Oracle’s face to pop up on one of our computers.” Jay glanced at Dick with a wry smile.

“I can see why you wouldn’t want that,” Dick admitted.

Jay leaned back in his seat, waiting. The information came through, and he glanced over it before forwarding it on to Babs. “This is a heat-map of places associated with Harley and Ivy,” Jay told Dick. 

The car must’ve been equipped with a comm unit, because the radio went silent and Babs’ digitized voice came from the speakers. “Overlaid on a zoning map. She knows they have to be keeping the prisoners someplace, and it can’t be residential. That much traffic would get noticed.”

“So we check known locations?” Dick asked, sounding dubious.

“Nah. Places they _ haven’t _ been seen,” Jay replied. “If you’re doing something you need to be extra-secret - like kidnapping and drugging Batman - you don’t do it anyplace where they know your name.”

“I’m relaying this to the others,” Babs said. She cut out, and the radio came back.

Jay looked over at Dick, arching a brow. “Oracle is always watching, huh?”

“Pretty much,” Dick replied with a shrug.

In light of that, Jay decided not to tell him about their ace in the hole. He truly did believe that Talia would never harm him … but nothing was stopping her from bolting from them, the way Bruce had tried to run when they all confronted _ him _. Jay knew a sure way to get and keep her attention, without provoking a fight.

He only carried a few drops of the rose oil, but one drop would be enough, if it came to that.

…

“They’re getting restive,” Harley worried.

“If we can perfect the cure, we can fix the damaged ones,” Pam said, poring over the latest data. All of the Alphas in their care were still showing elevated hormone levels consistent with rut. Her serum _ should _ have had the opposite effect. This was extremely frustrating.

Harley hopped up on the counter and swung her feet. “The last time we had this many of them, we had a breakout. And Roman makes me nervous.”

“Roman was a savage before he went into rut,” Pam replied. “I’m not surprised he’s the worst of them.”

“If he gets loose, I’m gonna shoot ‘im,” Harley said.

Pam made a noncommittal noise; the world was probably better off without Black Mask in it. Certainly as he was now, he had no redeeming qualities. He caused her plenty of problems, forcing her to frequently mask the Alpha’s scents in the corridor. Even when they couldn’t scent each other, he would snarl and rage until the others reacted.

The door to the lab opened, and Harley’s attention shifted. “Hey, punkin,” she said. “What’s up?”

“I’m bored,” Lucy Kaplan complained, coming over to Harley. “Can we go to the park?”

“Not right now, sweetheart,” Harley said, running her hands through the girl’s blonde hair, the same shade as her own. “Maybe tomorrow.”

Lucy was adjusting rather well, in Pam’s opinion. She’d only recently learned that her Aunt Harleen was actually her birth mother, and Harley had worked out a shared custody arrangement with her sister. This was their week with Lucy, and so far she was a sweet and affectionate child.

The thought of anyone trying to coerce her was enough to infuriate Pam. And make her even more determined to end Alpha domination, by any means necessary.

The Alphas who had been driven mad, or killed, in the attempt were unfortunate collateral damage. The cure on would be better for the entire _ world_. That potential benefit outweighed the few losses they’d suffered so far.

…

The Bats had spread out, carefully, staying in touch by comm. Almost immediately, Jay struck Talia’s scent, and moments later they found one of the cars she’d used. “We’re on her trail,” Dick said, hopeful.

“We need to get there ahead of her,” Jay replied grimly.

The two of them were together, Bruce was with Selina, Tim and Steph were with Cass. That gave each search party one unsuppressed nose, and they all knew Talia’s scent by now. Dick called in their findings to Babs, and they learned that Steph had also caught a hint of Talia’s scent. “She’s moving around a lot,” Tim said over the comm.

“Quartering in search of Ivy,” Bruce said. “Take it three blocks further, see if we find traces of her there.”

Trying to triangulate Talia’s position by whiffs of scent - she might’ve been in another car with a window down, based on how uncertain Steph sounded - was not Jay’s idea of fun. He’d thought he could guess where she would start searching, and finding the car she’d abandoned seemed to prove him right, but he couldn’t find any satisfaction in that. 

Right now he was keeping himself on lockdown, suppressing emotion for a state of battle-readiness. He was hyper-focused on finding any trace of Talia, or of Ivy, examining every dandelion growing from the sidewalk cracks to see if it seemed part of unusual floral growth. If they found Ivy before Talia did, that would be best. He could catch Talia relatively easily, once he’d found Khairah.

Jay had to get _ both _ of them back before he could let himself feel anything. He’d do whatever was necessary to bring that about. 

Tim’s voice came over the comm. “I have a possible location. We’re investigating. If I stop updating, send backup.” And then he read off the address.

Jay glanced at his map; it was one of the likelier spots. Fortunately, not too far from their own location. Silently, he hoped one of them found Harley before Talia did.


	62. Chapter 62

Talia felt like she was on the right track. This neighborhood seemed to have everything she would’ve needed to build a laboratory and a prison. Plenty of space, no neighbors, and not a location with which they’d previously been associated. She cruised the streets, noticing few pedestrians.

A car full of young hotheads pulled up beside her at a light - members of the same gang, perhaps, by their matching caps and aggressive attitudes. Talia had rolled her windows up after passing a couple of obvious drug dealers, and now these fools were staring in at her, making comments that she fortunately couldn’t quite hear. The accompanying gestures, though, made their meaning all too clear.

Talia rolled her window down, not even bothering to glance at them, just letting the scent of her rage waft out. The one closest to her had hung out his window, starting to ask if she was as nice a ride as the car she was in. His expression became one of comical surprise as her scent hit his nose.

“Go home, children. The streets aren’t safe today,” Talia growled, and her own voice was deeper and rougher than she was used to hearing it. She never looked at them, knowing that eye contact would push her temper over the edge, and getting out of her car to thrash the lot of them would only be a distraction. 

A pause, and the gang’s car screeched through the red light. Talia drove on, her self-control wound so tightly it felt on the edge of shattering.

Khairah was out here somewhere. Even now, those two jackals might be dosing her with whatever they’d given Bruce and the other Alphas. What would it do to her, young as she was? Khairah had barely had time to learn what being an Alpha really meant, and she’d never had a chance to enjoy its benefits. If they were successful, if they managed to permanently suppress her, Talia would kill them both.

She turned a corner, and spotted a vine growing up the side of a building. Not terribly unusual, weeds grew in sidewalk cracks everywhere, but Talia slowed down, eyeing the place. It looked like it might have been a small warehouse, long abandoned, its windows boarded over.

But another tendril of vine was growing out from behind the plywood, curling along the brick. There shouldn’t have been enough sunlight inside to encourage plant growth. 

Talia parked the car a few blocks away, and stalked back on foot. She came over the rooftops, not wanting to be spotted from the street, and saw skylights in part of the warehouse building. A front office, perhaps, which might provide a natural explanation for the vines. 

There might also have been an unnatural explanation; all green things throve in the presence of Poison Ivy. Talia crept up on the skylight, listening carefully for any unusual sound, and peered in.

What had once been a lobby was carpeted in lush, verdant growth. Not at all the straggly weeds she would’ve expected to grow up naturally in an abandoned place. That was grass as thick as a well-tended lawn, with flowers scattered among it like stars, and vines crawled up the walls. 

Talia smiled. She’d found her quarry’s hideout.

…

Khairah paced the confines of her cell, trying to keep her muscles limber. If she got the slightest chance to fight her way out of here, she’d have to be ready to take it. The odds were slim, but at least she thought she could fight that bewitching scent this time. Now that she knew what it was, she could prepare for it. 

She’d been listening to the other Alphas, too. They all growled, from time to time, but she heard one voice louder and more often than the rest. Somewhere up near the front of the corridor, and his snarls chilled her as little else did. He had all of Talia’s dominance and aggression, but none of her restraint. None of the careful kindness Khairah had been surprised to find in her sire, either.

Few people would think of the Demon as gentle, she supposed. But then, she did not let many close enough to know her. Talia was still a little hesitant with Khairah herself, a bit of distance still between them. Not because of anything Khairah had done, though.

At the beginning, when Talia continued to speak to her formally and almost seemed to be avoiding her, Khairah had taken it personally. The smoldering resentment flared up, as most emotions tended to, during one of her sparring sessions with Jay. She’d just landed a blow that knocked him off his feet, and he got up laughing, smiling broadly. “Good shot, kiddo,” he’d said, and rumpled her sweaty hair.

Khairah had wanted to bask in the praise, but it landed sour on her ears and her mouth twisted in a frown. “You don’t have to humor me,” she’d complained.

“Why would I do that?” Jay had asked.

It had all spilled out of her then. “_ She _ doesn’t want me here. The sooner you can say my training is adequate, the sooner she can get rid of me.”

Jay had stared at her, plainly shocked. “Khairah, why would you think that?” 

“She avoids me. She barely speaks to me. Obviously the Demon never knew she had a bastard child out there, and she only took me in out of guilt for what she did to my mother,” Khairah had said, and then dashed angry tears from her eyes.

Jay had stepped in, wrapping his arms around her tight, and she’d struggled to get away at first, not wanting his pity. He’d held on, even when she smacked him, even when she snarled, and eventually Khairah had broken down crying.

Then Jay had sat down on the training mats and simply held her, rubbing her back, until she ran out of tears. “Khairah, honey, that’s not what Talia thinks of you. That’s not why she brought you here.”

“She _ is _ avoiding me,” Khairah had mumbled.

He’d sighed. “Listen… I probably shouldn’t tell you this. But _ nobody _ out there is perfect. And as far as I can tell, nobody has their shit completely under control. A lot of people _ look _ like they have their lives handled, and a lot of people _ act _ like they couldn’t make a mistake if they tried, but no one I’ve ever met goes through life without screwing up and doubting themselves, okay? There, that’s the big secret of adulthood, none of us really know what we’re doing. We’re all making it up as we go along, just like you.”

Sniffling miserably, Khairah had asked, “How is this relevant?”

“Talia’s not avoiding you because she regrets bringing you here, or because she’s ashamed of you. I know for damn sure she doesn’t think of you as her _ bastard _ daughter. Just ‘her daughter’.” Jay had never lied to her, and Khairah had listened to him carefully. “She’s letting me handle most of your training because you and I are getting along pretty well. And she’s afraid of screwing this up.”

“_She’s _ afraid?” It had been a novel concept, to Khairah.

Jay had nodded, still rubbing her back comfortingly. “She always wanted a kid, and never had one. The way her father raised her is severely fucked up, and I had a pretty shitty childhood, too. We never planned to be parents because we didn’t think we’d be good at it, and we didn’t want to inflict our bullshit on a kid. But you’re here, and you need us. So we’re both trying, but she’s a lot more scared than me. Partly because she knows you look up to her, and you see the Demon, the legend. Not the person she really is. She’s afraid she’ll give you the same kind of complex she had about her dad.” He’d huffed then, and kissed her forehead. “She’s also afraid to let you see her for herself, because she thinks she’s pretty messed up and if you realize that, you won’t love her or want to be around her. And she really wants you to love her.”

It had been a moment of unexpected awe, to realize that the Demon was afraid of _ her_, in a way. Jay had pulled back then, put his hand under her chin and tilted her face up. He’d added sternly, “Now don’t go using that to manipulate her. I don’t think there’s any real malice in you, but I remember being a kid. If someone hands you a tool, you’re gonna wanna see how it works. _Don’t _ play with Talia’s mind. No matter how much I like you, I’ll kick your ass to protect her.”

Khairah had nodded her assent, and from that moment her relationship with Talia had changed. They’d grown closer, the Demon’s wary distance evaporating, and the last of Khairah’s doubts had vanished when Talia gave her that newborn foal. She knew what a gift that was. And the longer she knew Talia, the more she saw the compassionate soul at the center of her.

Forcing her mind back to the present, Khairah studied her situation. Whatever these two women were doing to the captured Alphas, they’d have to open her cell door to do it. And then she’d have a fighting chance. Khairah studied the angles of the room, envisioning how one or both of them would step through the door, and where she’d have to be to take them on.


	63. Chapter 63

Jay stood in the middle of the street, helmet off, sniffing the air. Talia had _ been _ here, fairly recently. But for some reason her scent had only pooled in this one spot; there was no trail leading away. Frustrated, he wished he wasn’t suppressed. When he came off the drugs, Talia’s scent was like a line painted through the air, always guiding him to her.

Now it was more like true tracking, something he could do but hated. Little hints of her presence like footprints in sand or broken twigs in a forest. He tried to circle out from the spot where her scene soaked in, but wasn’t getting any hints.

He kept coming back to the place where she’d evidently stopped at a traffic light, breathing deeply of her scent. Talia was furious, her usual persimmon and clove overlaid with something like burnt metal. Not even that sour note bothered Jay; he wanted her _ back_, and soon.

A car rolled up to the opposite side of the light, and the four young men in it immediately started yelling at Jay to get out of the street, even though he wasn’t in their lane. “Get the fuck out the road, you crazy bastard!” the driver shouted. “Hey! You! You big dumb fuck, this is Youngblood territory!”

That must’ve been the name of their gang. Not one Jay recognized, but so what? New gangs formed all the time. 

He’d stood with his back to them, and they couldn’t see the helmet in his hands. They figured he was a civilian, and Jay was about to turn around and scare them off when it occurred to him that a gang like this, patrolling the area, might’ve seen Talia. Or Harley and Ivy.

Jay stood perfectly still, willing them to come to him. And they did, rolling through once the light turned and stopping behind him. “All right, man, time you learn whose town this is,” one of the punks said.

Jay listened for the car door opening, and spun around the instant he heard it, letting his helmet fall. He punched the rear passenger who’d been getting out and grabbed the driver, hauling him through the open window. Jay slammed the guy up against the car, shoving his gun under the young man’s chin, and glanced at the other two getting out. The first one he’d hit had taken Jay’s fist to his throat, and was gasping and coughing on the ground.

“This is the Bat’s town, fuckwit,” Jay said, his voice tight.

The other two started to draw weapons, but Dick dropped from the roof and grabbed them by the backs of their jackets. He smacked them together and shoved them against the car. “Nope, sorry gentlemen, we don’t have time for that today,” Dick said.

Jay bared his teeth at the driver. “You wanna be a model citizen and help us out? We’re looking for someone.”

“Man, we ain’t tellin’ you shit,” one of the other passengers shot back.

The muzzle of Jay’s gun pressed hard into the spot under the driver’s chin. “Your friends might wanna shut up,” he said in conversational tones. “If I pull this trigger, they’re gonna get a mouthful of blood and brains and bone fragments. You ever shoot somebody point-blank like this? A nine-mill parabellum’ll split your head open like a watermelon, leaves your face laying on your shoulders in two pieces or so.”

The driver swallowed, his eyes wide. “Who you looking for?”

Jay kept the gun on him, letting go of the guy’s jacket to reach for his phone. He’d set the photo of Talia and Khairah as his lock screen. “This woman.”

The driver just frowned, but the front passenger gasped. “Oh shit, that’s that Alpha! Man, you better watch out if you’re looking for her.”

“I’m not worried. She’s my Alpha,” Jay said. “Where’d you see her, and where did you go?”

“She was driving up this road,” the driver said hurriedly. He pointed the way they’d come from. “She went that way - we didn’t follow her.”

“What was she driving?” Dick asked.

“A white Escalade,” the passenger added.

That was one more clue, and Jay nodded, stepping back. “Thanks, gentlemen. Have a nice day. And maybe get the hell off the street, things could get ugly.”

They scrambled back into their vehicle as he picked up his helmet, and Dick crossed behind it, calling in the information about the car. “Let’s keep moving,” Dick said. “Babs is on the car.”

Jay felt for the vial of rose oil in his pocket. “We’re getting close,” he said, hopeful as much as anything else.

…

The first likely spot was a bust, and Selina growled under her breath. They’d broken into teams with one good nose each; Bruce was hers, Steph’s unsuppressed nose was keen, and though Jay was suppressed, he was more sensitive to his Alpha’s scent. Detective work might lead them to places where Talia could be, but actually finding her was complicated. She didn’t tend to leave obvious traces. At least she wasn’t hiding her scent.

Jay had caught a trace of her, and ran across some men who’d actually _ seen _ her. That gave them a description of a vehicle she’d used recently, which Babs was trying to track. It felt like they were getting closer.

“We have suspicious vegetation, and Spoiler says the Demon might have been here, but she’s not sure,” Tim said over the comm, reading off the address. Selina tensed; she and Bruce had gone up to the rooftops, hoping to spot the car somewhere nearby.

“Proceed with caution,” Bruce said into his comm. Selina nodded silently; Tim’s group might’ve found Ivy instead of Talia. Either way, it had to be checked.

“We’re close. We’re going to join them,” Dick said.

Selina found herself praying that they’d located Pam’s hideout, and that Talia and her daughter would both be there unhurt.

…

Talia knew she was impatient, driven by her anger. She forced herself to quarter the building, searching for any surveillance or security. She found nothing unusual, and decided to break in by the least-used entrance, which in this case was the boarded-up front door.

She put her nasal filters in before slipping inside. This was Poison Ivy, though, and a mask would be wiser. Talia didn’t have one with her, and for a moment she wished for the uniform and weaponry that were currently in the trunk of her car at the Manor.

It couldn’t be helped. If she’d gone back, the rest would only slow her down. And if they were here, Bruce would surely stop her from taking righteous vengeance upon her daughter’s kidnappers.

The front lobby looked like a garden, now, though not the sort of carefully-pruned garden to which Talia was accustomed. More like a garden left to grow wild for a few years, where the hardier plants dominated but an innate sense of human organization still prevailed. Talia moved carefully across the floor, its tiles cracked where roots had broken through in search of soil. Grass and flowers made for a springy surface under which those broken bits were treacherously invisible.

There were only two doors leading further inward. Talia stopped at the first, examining it, but vines had grown over the hinges. It wasn’t opened frequently, then. She might end up using this route, and wished for a set of blueprints. The League could get that for her, if she asked them.

First, she checked the second door. That one was clear of plant growth around its edges, and the floor before it was carpeted in wild thyme, a sturdy plant that could survive foot traffic. Talia placed her ear against the door, listening.

No sound, and she decided to take a small risk. Talia cracked the door open, peering around its edge, hyper-alert for the first hint of movement, of attack. She was unaware that her mouth had opened slightly, drawing in deeper breaths in anticipation of a fight to come. 

Many vertebrates had a vomeronasal organ in the roof of the mouth, an additional scent-sensing organ that many species used to detect pheromones. Humans had the organ, too, and it was connected to the Accessory Olfactory Bulb of the brain, allowing them to detect and analyze scents. Recent studies had shown that the AOB was most developed in Alphas, followed by Omegas, and noticeably underdeveloped in Betas. Those heinous human experiments attempting to permanently suppress Alphas had also looked at damaging that particular brain structure, though every attempt had failed. Apparently even an Alpha who’d undergone drastic brain surgery would still react to heat-scent, though no one had yet discovered if it was simply via scent inhaled through the nasal passages, or some other previously unknown mechanism.

When Talia breathed in, the scent in the air bypassed her nasal filters, reaching the roof of her mouth. Signals fired in nerves leading directly to the oldest, most instinctual parts of her brain, with no input or moderation from the areas responsible for conscious thought. Scent sparked memory and emotion first, and reasoning came after the fact.

Cinnamon, honey, a trace of chocolate, all the scents of Talia’s favorite desserts. Combined into one unmistakable, unforgettable odor, that made her mouth water and her pulse race. 

Her rational mind refused to believe it, and Talia took a deeper breath. Holding her mouth closed, she let the air she’d inhaled linger.

No mistake, she _ knew _ that particular aroma so very well. It called out to her, reminding her of so many of her best memories, desire and delight. Jay had gotten here before her somehow, and he must have missed his suppressant dose, because now he was in heat. Talia stepped through the door, half-hypnotized by his scent, all rational thought momentarily subsumed by it.


	64. Chapter 64

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, friends and readers. Let me start by assuring you that I am currently safe and healthy and still employed in the midst of the COVID-19 madness. I work for a bank, and we are considered essential, so we won't be closing. My department is going to alternating shifts, so I'm going to be working with half the team for the next two weeks. After that, I'll be off for two weeks.
> 
> My wife works retail shipping, and she's at the district store with a regional fulfillment department. So she is also going to be working for the foreseeable future. Her store carries cleaning products and healthcare items, so it is still open to the public, though with reduced hours. Both of our jobs are taking precautions for our safety, but I won't lie. We're both worried. We're both around 40 and in reasonably good health, so hopefully social distancing and the cleaning measures will be enough.
> 
> I am going to continue to write throughout this. Writing gives me a world I can slip into where the current craziness doesn't exist. And I know that a lot of other people are worried and stressed out too. If I can lift you out of that for a few moments, let you worry about these characters instead of real life, I'll do it. At least I can promise you that the story has a happy ending.
> 
> If you find yourself reading a lot of fic to cope, please leave the authors a kind comment. I'm not just talking about me - every writer I know cherishes comments. You can spread so much joy and pride with a handful of words, and in a time like this, we all need to share what joy we can fnd.

Harley headed to the front of the warehouse with a watering can. Most of the vegetation in the former lobby was of the weedy variety, tough survivors that could take root anywhere and needed no intervention from her. But there were a few orchids, seeds found around a desiccated plant in one of the offices, and they needed a little extra care to thrive. Pam had mourned for the forgotten plant and dedicated herself to seeing its daughters bloom. Harley had volunteered to take care of it today, while Pam tinkered with the next batch of Alpha cure.

To her immense shock, she saw the front door crack open as she walked toward it. Thinking of Batman, who’d gotten away within moments of being dosed, Harley dove into one of the side rooms and cowered there. If it was the Bat, he would be savage… 

The door swung open wide, and Harley bit her lip to stifle a gasp. That was the Demon’s Daughter, well, just the Demon now - Talia al Ghul herself, standing in the corridor scenting the air with a distracted expression. Harley realized two things at once. One, she’d worn the Omega lure scent so much that this corridor smelled faintly of it, and _ that _ had to be what was making Talia stand there sniffing instead of drawing a weapon.

Two, _ Talia _ was the powerful Alpha she’d caught wind of in the hotel in Blüdhaven. Her scent, unsuppressed and full of rage-rut, drifted down the corridor. Harley shuddered; she’d been _ damn _ lucky that Talia hadn’t been in the room when she showed up. 

Of course, now she was _ here_. And Harley knew she couldn’t take the Demon in a fight. It’d be suicide to try. But she had another way to subdue her, and with Talia being unsuppressed, she’d be more susceptible.

Setting down the watering can, Harley took out the perfume bottle that held Ivy’s specially-crafted lure scent, and spritzed it onto her neck and wrists. Pam would be delighted by _ this _ catch.

Even while she planned how best to confront Talia, Harley was shaking with fear. She knew entirely too much about Alpha rage. Memories of Joker rose in her mind, having to bandage her injuries afterward with the burning scent of his lust and wrath still clinging to her skin.

She’d have to be _ damn _ careful not to end up just as battered this time.

…

Where _ was _ he? Talia sniffed, the scent too diffuse for her to track. He’d _ been _ here, and recently, but she couldn’t pinpoint which direction was the freshest trail. That should have disturbed her, but her anger was transforming into desire.

There were too many memories, all of them too potent to ignore. Jay was intoxicating; they could be playful and tender together, understanding one another so perfectly that they could communicate just with purrs and growls and nips. Only with him could she let go, completely, and trust that he would be there to catch her. Some part of Talia knew she had a reason to be furious, that there was something she was forgetting, but the scent climbing up her nose overwhelmed that.

Suddenly, Jay was _ close_, and Talia gave a trilling purr. Her eyes slipped closed as she turned toward his scent, her mouth watering. She took a step toward him, all the tension in her melting away.

A hand came up, brushing at her hair, and Talia turned her face to nip at his wrist. Gently, affectionately, but he snatched his hand back and stepped away. Talia followed, her eyes half-closed, thoroughly entranced. Scent ruled her, and she growled, low and possessive.

Jay _ loved _ to hear that, he’d purr and nip at her, provoking her on purpose. They played at dominance, always gentle, always careful of one another, and Jay had never been afraid of her.

So why was there an acrid edge of fear in his scent now? Sharp as vinegar, it cut across the warmth and sweetness she knew and loved. Talia opened her eyes, blinking herself back to coherence. Whatever he feared, she would destroy to protect him. That was her duty and privilege. 

Talia’s eyes were giving her conflicting information. Her nose said _ Jay_, and even more so, _ Jay in heat_. Her eyes sought his familiar beloved face, but in front of her stood a stranger.

Not a stranger. She knew this woman, not personally, but she’d seen those features before. The woman looked afraid, but she still held out her hand, wrist turned up, and another wave of Jay’s scent rose to Talia’s nose.

Scent blanked out sense, again, and Talia took another step forward. The woman nodded encouragingly, moving backward down the corridor lined with vines. Talia walked slowly, reasoning that this woman had to smell of Jay for a reason. He _ must _ be close by, how courteous of her to lead Talia to her Omega.

_ Vines?_ Why did vines set off a shrieking alarm in her head? Talia’s reaction was muted by her rut, but still she noted that response.

Talia struggled to think. That edge of fear in Jay’s scent - it came from this woman. Why _ exactly _ did she smell like Jay? Where was he? The small corner of her mind not obsessed with heat-scent was trying desperately to get her attention. She stopped, and the woman moved forward, holding her wrist up close to Talia’s face.

A name floated up into her mind. _ Harley Quinn_. And on the heels of that, Talia remembered why she was here, what dangers she faced, and most importantly, what Harley and Ivy had done.

_ Khairah._ For a few crucial seconds Talia had completely forgotten her, and now her daughter’s face flashed across her mind in a burst of guilt. But more importantly, _ this _ was the bitch who had stolen her daughter. And that scent _ wasn’t Jay_, it was whatever they were using to capture Alphas. The way Khairah had been caught.

Rage awoke, burning off Talia’s hazy sensual rut, and Harley saw the change in her eyes. Her expression turned even more terrified, and she tried to bolt.

But Talia was faster. She caught Harley’s arm, and now Jay’s scent enraged her, knowing it was false. “You lying thieving little _ jackal_,” she snarled, and swung Harley against the wall. “_Where is my daughter?!_”

“Pam!” Harley yelled, and Talia couldn’t have her summoning her more dangerous partner.

She settled her hands around Harley’s throat, cutting off her cry for help, and with rage singing in her blood, she began to squeeze.


	65. Chapter 65

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dear readers, I hope you are all doing well. I'm still working - making overtime every day, as a matter of fact, because we're short-handed and receiving high volumes of work. It's kind of a nightmare. I've got a letter to keep with me at all times stating I'm an essential worker, so that's a mind trip. But I am blessed to be employed and to have health care right now. Also my coworkers are wonderful.
> 
> Chapters will continue every Friday. I'm working next week, then I'm off for two weeks - during which time I hope to finish this fic. Keep your fingers crossed, we're getting close to the end.

Lucy was still bored. At least there was a TV. And Aunt Harley - well, she was really Lucy’s mother, but to her mind ‘Mom’ was someone else, and so she called her ‘Aunt Harley’ still - let her watch as much as she wanted. Unlike at home, when they were only allowed two hours of screen-time outside homework, unless it was something educational. Some of the PBS specials were actually kind of cool, in a way. Other kids got to watch all the TV they wanted, though, and Lucy was jealous of that.

Although, parked in front of the screen, she didn’t find it all that exciting. The animated show she was watching certainly kept her attention, but she found herself still bored somehow. It was better when Aunt Harley and Aunt Pam weren’t busy in the lab. Then they’d talk to her, and even play games. Aunt Pam was _ terrible _ at checkers, Lucy had soundly beaten her every time.

She hoped they’d be done working soon. If not, maybe she could explore this place a little more. Aunt Harley had warned her not to go wandering, that parts of the building were unsafe, but she figured with a child’s faultless confidence that she could just stay away from anything that looked dangerous.

Leaving the TV on, Lucy wandered out to explore. There were a lot of rooms in the top of this place, and she had only seen a few. They mostly looked like offices, which was boring, but she could pretend she was a spy infiltrating an evil corporation and look for clues. She padded down the hallway, humming to herself, entirely unaware of what was happening on the other side of the building.

…

Harley hadn’t come back yet, and Pam reached out to the plants in the lobby, wondering what had kept her. Sometimes she would just sit among the flowers, enjoying the little garden, and Pam didn’t disturb her at times like that. But she worried - even with Joker long dead, she worried about Harley. She was very susceptible to Alpha command-voice, and Pam was vigilant in protecting her.

Pam herself was Beta, glad to be free of the compulsions that drove Alphas and Omegas, though she could alter her own scent at will to mimic any designation. If she’d had her way, she’d cure humanity of being both Alpha and Omega, free them all of coercion by their baser instincts. Life would be better for all of them if they were Betas.

But all of humanity was not normally her concern. She loved Harley, liked Selina well enough, and adored Harley’s daughter Lucy. The girl was bright and fearless, and luckily she didn’t seem too traumatized by the interference of that coach. Pam would have gladly killed every Alpha in town to prevent anything worse happening to that girl.

The plants told her Harley was in the corridor out front … and adrenaline spiked through her body at the realization that Harley wasn’t alone.

She raced up from the lab, commanding the vines in the corridor to seize the intruder. And feeling the sting of pain as whoever it was fought back, tearing at the foliage. Pam was close enough now to hear Harley calling her name hoarsely.

Bursting into the corridor, she saw a scene that echoed her worst nightmares. Harley was pinned to the wall, kicking at her assailant, who snarled with a vibrating fury only an Alpha’s throat could produce. Pam recognized the attacker, too: Talia al Ghul. The Demon had both hands around Harley’s neck, choking her, and she was standing too close for Harley’s kicks to have any real force.

Now that she could see properly, Pam took control of the plants in the room. Mostly trailing ivy, sadly no thorns among them, and she sent it all surging toward Talia. “Let her go!” she demanded, striding forward, her vision pulsing green.

“_Thieves,_” Talia growled, her voice guttural, and she stamped at the first vine to reach her. She stank of rage-rut, even to Pam’s relatively dull nose, and any hope of negotiation vanished. She was too furious, the perfect example of an out-of-control Alpha, and Pam knew she would strangle Harley to death if she wasn’t stopped. _ Quickly_.

Vines rushed toward her, more than she could fend off, twining around her legs and surging up her body. Talia tried to step back from the wall, shaking Harley like a cat killing a mouse, and Pam gritted her teeth. Half her consciousness was in the vegetation now, and the first slim tendrils wrapped around Talia’s neck, even as more wrapped her arms.

Talia let go of Harley with one hand, ripping at the vines that were now strangling her. Harley gasped, pawing at Talia’s other hand, in such terror that all she could think of was escape. This would’ve been the moment to strike back, to knock out the raging Alpha, but Pam couldn’t blame her. She had used the lure scent, and the smell of heat mixed with Alpha anger was all of Harley’s nightmares rolled into one.

Pam clenched her fists, concentrating. A thick cord of vine lashed itself around Talia’s wrist, and jerked her free hand behind her back. She struggled, tightening her grip on Harley’s throat. Pam heard her lover choking for air. Rage, _ rage_, she wanted to tear the Demon apart … but what she needed now was finesse, or she’d hurt Harley too. And she couldn’t bear that.

Vines bit into Talia’s arm, tourniquet tight, cutting off circulation. More wound themselves down her wrist and between her fingers. No matter how tightly she closed her fist around Harley’s slim neck, the vegetal strength that let saplings shatter stone managed to force its way through. Pam’s mind was focused on just that one point, on forcing her hand open so Harley could breathe.

Talia gave a half-strangled snarl of frustration, and let go. Pam ignored her, other than a half-formed thought to the vines to hold her in place, and ran to catch Harley as she fell away from the Demon’s grip. Harley was gagging and coughing and clutching her throat, but she was _ alive_. She was breathing, however roughly. 

“She’s the one…” Harley tried to say, hoarse and broken. Her eyes watered; Pam saw bright red specks in them, where blood vessels had burst from being strangled.

“Don’t try to talk,” Pam murmured, holding her by the shoulders, reassuring herself that Harley really _ was _ alive, that she wasn’t going to die in the next few seconds. Her breathing was still very labored.

“She’s the big Alpha,” Harley whispered, blinking away tears. “I fucked up, Pam, I fucked up _ bad_…”

“No, darling, you did fine,” Pam soothed her. “We have her now. She won’t get away.”

She turned her attention back to their new captive, wrath blooming in her chest, just in time for sharp pain to burst through her awareness.


	66. Chapter 66

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all are not gonna like this one.
> 
> The good news is, I'm off for two weeks, so I don't have to try and write around a demanding work schedule. I'm honestly looking forward to it, and hope that I might be able to finish the action arc of this story at least. 'Cause these cliffhangers are mean.

Vines were swiftly twining around Talia’s body, around her neck, and the awareness of danger finally cut through the red fog of outrage in her mind. She had to release Harley to struggle in earnest, and by then the plants had already pulled one hand behind her back. Her other arm was thoroughly entangled, too, and vines were wrapped around both legs and her torso. She’d let herself get too focused on throttling Harley, and stopped minding her surroundings. Now she was in some serious trouble.

Fortunately Talia was not unarmed or unprepared. As Ivy ran to her lover, Talia managed to reach the knife at her back. She sliced through the vines quickly, knowing she wouldn’t be able to completely cut herself loose in time. All she needed was enough freedom of movement to reach her emergency supplies… 

Ivy flinched as soon as the knife bit into the vegetation, her eyes narrowing in anger. Talia felt another vine wrap around her throat and begin to tighten. But she’d gotten her hand into the inner pocket of her jacket, and now she had the advantage.

She and Jay both always carried a certain amount of tools, beyond weaponry. Lock picks, of course, but their standard kit also included a small handheld torch. Sometimes it was more useful than a gun. Talia flicked it on, and the blue-white flame scorched the foliage nearest her.

Ivy screamed, and Harley bolted from the room. “So you  _ do _ feel their pain,” Talia growled, and turned the flame up as high as it would go, searing a swath around her. Vines shriveled away, except for the one around her neck, but her other hand was free and she could tear at it.

Green wood didn’t burn well, but the touch of the flame was clearly agonizing. “I’ll kill you for that,” Ivy growled as her plants flinched away from Talia.

“Not if I kill you first,” Talia promised her, yanking the last of the vines loose.

For a moment, they were at a stalemate, the torch spitting as the vines withdrew. Talia tried to catch her breath, and estimate how long she had before the fuel ran out. It couldn’t be more than twenty minutes, the torch wasn’t designed for long-term use. 

Along the wall, flowers began to open, their pollen sickly yellow. Talia stepped forward, raising the torch at Ivy. “Don’t even think about it,” she warned. “You  _ might _ just survive tonight, if you don’t anger me any further.”

“You’ll die for hurting Harley, one way or another,” Ivy replied in the same fierce tone.

Part of Talia realized she’d been a fool to come alone. If she had backup, if she had a handful of Betas to mediate this, she could’ve shown Ivy the parallels between them. They were both ready to kill to protect someone they loved. This was the first time in a long time that Talia had royally screwed up a mission, and shame burned her.

Most of Talia was too eager for blood to care. She’d spill some, whether it was Ivy’s or Harley’s or both, before this was through. Stepping forward with the torch raised, she drove Ivy back another step.

That was when Harley returned, kicking the door open, and the first thing Talia saw was the gun in her hands.

…

Harley heard Pam shriek in pain. Even though her throat was on fire and her knees were weak with terror, she couldn’t stand by and let the Demon slaughter her lover. And there was only one weapon in this whole place that might stop a raging Alpha.

She ran, faster than she’d ever run from trouble, snatching up her gun and handcuffs. They had dual control on the test subjects’ wing, physical and electronic locks, and she didn’t have time to fiddle with the control panel. Harley hit the emergency override, the one they’d installed in case of fire, and all the magnetic locks clunked open.

Racing to the last cell, Harley jammed her key in the lock, and kicked the door open, backing up with her gun raised. The young Alpha inside had been waiting just outside the span of the door, tensed to spring, but she froze as the muzzle of the gun filled her vision. “Your sire’s here,” Harley snapped at her, and threw the cuffs to the girl. 

…

Khairah had been geared up to pounce and overpower whichever of the two women eventually unlocked her cell. She was ready for the Omega lure scent … but not for the reek of adrenaline and fear, or for the sight of a gun pointed straight at her.

Jay had been teaching her how to disarm an armed opponent. He’d warned her that the first time facing a loaded gun was a challenge for everyone, even him and Talia, and to her horror he’d been right about that, too. The barrel seemed huge, a blank black eye swallowing up her vision, her future, maybe her life. For an instant too long, Khairah found herself paralyzed by it.

Then the woman behind it - the one called Harley - snapped out the best news Khairah had ever heard. Talia was here, which meant Jay wasn’t far behind, and rescue was imminent. She caught the tossed handcuffs reflexively, looking up at Harley’s terrified face. A spike of satisfaction ran through her; the woman ought to be afraid. She’d crossed the Demon.

“Put those on, right now,” Harley ordered. “I don’t have time to fool around. You’re just as good a hostage with a bullet in your leg, but then I gotta drag ya.”

Khairah saw no other option. If she fought, she’d be shot. She did cuff her hands in front of her, leaving herself more maneuverability and the chance to fight, however hampered. The second she clicked the cuffs shut, Harley stepped back and jerked the gun to indicate where she wanted Khairah to go. “Move it, kid, and hurry. Don’t try anything funny or I’ll wing ya.”

The woman was taking her to Talia, most likely, so Khairah didn’t argue. She couldn’t help growling when Harley stepped in close and grabbed a handful of her hair, barely suppressing the urge to kick backwards. The gun jammed in the center of her back cut off her snarl, too. “Shut up,” Harley muttered, sounding more terrified than Khairah.

They moved at a run, Harley pushing Khairah, up a short flight of steps and along a hallway. The blonde jerked Khairah to a halt before a door, kicked it open, and then shoved her through. 

Khairah was learning to take in a scene at a glance, identifying everything important in seconds. She saw a woman with green skin and red hair, her body language rife with threat, facing Talia who was holding a hand torch out. The room was full of vegetation, and vines squirmed like snakes to get away from Talia.

Talia’s head turned at the sound of the door being kicked open, and Khairah knew she would see Harley’s gun first, the virtue of long training in recognizing threats. Harley doubled her hold on Khairah’s hair, her scalp stinging, and stepped behind her so Talia couldn’t draw her own gun and take a shot without hitting Khairah. The gun was pressed against her spine again, making Khairah’s skin crawl.

“Back down or I’m puttin’ a big damn hole in your kid,” Harley snapped, and Khairah ground her teeth not to growl.


	67. Chapter 67

Talia had _ definitely _ been here. Jay caught her scent at the same cracked wall that had gotten Tim’s attention, for the small tree growing out of it. But it seemed more faint than the intersection where they’d interrogated the gang members. The five of them cased the place anyway, and made entry through two doors and a window.

Nothing but dust inside, and Steph swore under her breath. Tim scowled, and Dick touched his shoulder. “It looked like a good lead. We had to check it out.” 

“We’ll find them,” Jay said, but his intuition said time was running out.

…

Talia had been advancing on Ivy, ready to wither her with flame or just throttle her, when the stakes changed completely. Harley came back, armed … with Khairah handcuffed in front of her. She barked out a threat, the gun jammed into Khairah’s back, and there was no way she could miss.

Every Alpha instinct Talia had demanded that she order the Omega to drop her weapon and release Khairah. Her throat hummed with command, as rage sizzled in her heart.

But Khairah’s eyes met hers across the room, and the girl looked at her with utter certainty. Despite her fear, despite the handcuffs, despite Harley’s threat, Khairah still looked at Talia and fully expected her to fix it somehow.

Icy clarity descended on Talia. It was the opposite of the Lazarus Pit and her Alpha nature; this was the legacy of rigorous training. For a moment she stood outside herself, able to look at the entire situation with cold rationality.

She had botched this mission, running headlong after her daughter. By listening to her furious Alpha heart, she’d gotten into this situation with no backup nearby. But she still had all the information they’d gathered … and the courage to use it. She could still salvage _ something _ here. And when it came down to revenge or her daughter’s safety, there was no question which she’d choose.

Talia took her finger off the torch’s trigger, the flame disappearing, and instead of a command she spoke persuasively. “_Harleen_. You began all of this to avenge a child. You would not harm another, especially not one who never wronged you.”

“Shoot the brat,” Ivy said harshly.

Harley hesitated. “She’s just another Alpha.”

“Khairah is fifteen years old,” Talia said, making her voice low and soothing. She had to make Harley see Khairah as a person, not a bargaining chip. “Not that much older than your Lucy. My daughter did not ask to be Alpha. Khairah grew up in a sanctuary for Omegas fleeing the worst of our kind. Just as I’ve spent the past ten years killing the kind of Alphas you despise. Our goals are not so very different.”

“You’re wrong there,” Ivy cut in, and the vines in the room twisted over each other with a low rustling noise.

“Yeah, I don’t wanna hurt the kid,” Harley said, with a tremble in her voice. “But I _ will_, if I have to. You damn near killed me! You were gonna kill Pam!”

“You stole my daughter, my only child,” Talia said, and couldn’t entirely keep the anger out of her tone. “You have a daughter of your own. You know _ exactly _ how far I’d go to avenge mine. You’ve been doing it for weeks. _I _ was the one who hurt you. Let Khairah go. Don’t punish her for my mistake.”

Harley wavered. Ivy stepped toward her, saying, “Harley, the girl’s a perfect test subject.”

“No, she’s not,” Talia countered quickly. “She’s young enough that ordinary suppressants would mute her designation. What use is that to you? The _ perfect _ test subject is an adult Alpha who has never been suppressed. The stronger, the better.”

She knew it was a desperate gamble, but both of them looked at her calculatingly. “Like you?” Ivy challenged.

“No!” Khairah yelled, her hopeful expression shattering with dismay.

Talia couldn’t win this battle by her usual means. She was by far the superior warrior, but Harley’s gun aimed at her daughter’s spine negated all of her advantages. She didn’t dare risk using command voice; if Harley resisted it successfully, she might shoot Khairah for spite.

So she spoke to Khairah, taking a careful step forward, making certain not to raise her hands in a way that Ivy could interpret as threatening. “Habibti, I must. Your mother entrusted you to me; I cannot fail her. If that must be my last lesson to you, then so be it. The heart of what an Alpha is and should be is taking responsibility, and honoring the trust we’re given.”

“Just _ run_,” Khairah insisted. “You’re more important than me!”

“Not to me,” Talia demurred. 

The girl tried to jerk free of Harley’s hold, and the vines nearest her rose up. Talia commanded, “Khairah, _ be still_. This is my choice.”

“They could _ kill _ you!” Khairah retorted, her voice thick with unshed tears.

“Not until they have their data,” Talia replied. She was fairly certain that was true - though there would likely be vengeance for the livid bruises on Harley’s neck, first. Even if she was wrong, and they did mean to murder her, Talia had to convince Khairah enough that the girl would go without fighting.

“This is all very heartening,” Ivy said coldly. “But what makes you think I’d let her go in the first place? I ought to throttle you both where you stand.”

“You’ve never been one to murder a child in cold blood,” Talia reminded her. “I won’t deny your power, Ivy. You might be able to end me. But if you harm my daughter, you’ll find out just how much damage I can do before I die. How much are you willing to risk?”

Harley shifted, obviously worried, and Talia pretended not to notice her. She knew which of the women she had to convince. “Set my daughter free, and I won’t fight you. I’ll let you test your cure. You have my word.”

“_No!_” Khairah cried out. 

“Khairah, ya albi, this is what must be,” Talia told her, meeting her gaze and willing her to hold steady. “I love you, my daughter. Whether they drive me mad, or kill me, or cure me of what I never wanted to lose, you are worth it. Only … tell Jay I am sorry. I’ve been a fool, not to bring him with me.”

Khairah managed to nod, her eyes glassy, but she was of courageous stock on both sides of her family tree. Now that she was calm enough to think, she had to know that Jay and the rest would be searching for them both. Once she was free, she could help them find this place. Talia knew better than to hope they would come before Ivy injected her.

“All right,” Khairah finally said.

Talia looked back at Ivy. “Well? Will you take my bargain, Ivy?”

Harley looked at her, her expression pleading, and Ivy nodded. “Get the girl out of here,” Ivy finally said. “The newest version of the cure should work properly. You might even thank me, Talia. But try to go back on your word, and I’ll feed you to my babies. They do like bone meal.”

“I do not break my word, even given under duress,” Talia said with dignity, and put down the torch, stepping away from it.

“Come on, kid,” Harley said, and pushed Khairah out of the room at gunpoint.

Which left Talia facing Poison Ivy, bound by her word not to defend herself. _ So be it, _ she thought, and her heart ached for Jay. If she hadn’t slipped away, blinded by rage and driven to handle this _ herself_, he would have stopped her before she could get herself into this mess. She could only hope that no matter what happened, he wouldn’t blame himself for this.

Ivy still watched her warily. “Let’s get on with it, then,” Talia said. At least Khairah was safe. 


	68. Chapter 68

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is a day late - I'm getting close to finishing the story and being able to post twice a week again!
> 
> Stay safe out there, friends.

Once she made the decision to follow her sire’s orders, Khairah didn’t need to be pushed. She was in a greater hurry than the blonde woman, even, and Harley was plainly nervous as they rushed down a long hallway. “You’re ridin’ in the back,” she said, poking her ribs with the gun.

Khairah didn’t care. Once she was free, she could call Jay - but more important than her own safety was telling him where Talia was, hopefully in time for him and all the others in town to save her. To that end, she kept quiet, focusing her mind and will on her goal.

At the end of the hall was a door with several locks and a chain. Harley kept the gun on Khairah while she unlocked them, and they stepped through to a small parking lot where weeds grew up from cracks in the pavement. As Harley relocked the door behind them, Khairah looked around, hoping for some detail that would help Jay and the others find this place. 

The building was U-shaped, this parking area cradled in the arms of its two wings. It backed on an alley, and Khairah despaired, not seeing a billboard or street sign. Harley shoved her toward the SUV, and Khairah knew from her first trip that the rear windows were covered with a dark film that obscured her vision. Once inside she wouldn’t be able to see anything… 

On the brick side of a building across the alley was an old, hand-painted sign. Khairah’s gaze fixed on it; the elegant letters read ‘Kane Drug Emporium’. That was her clue, and it had to be enough, because Harley was popping open the back of the SUV. 

Khairah didn’t protest as Harley locked her cuffs to a bolt in the floor, and closed the rear hatch over her. She could have tried kicking out a window, but for now she simply waited. Harley was setting her free, after all.

Of course, the blonde took a circuitous route, making turns seemingly at random. There was no chance that Khairah would remember the route back to their hideout. She didn’t care; how many Kane Drug Emporiums could there be in a city? It hadn’t looked like a national chain; the elaborate painted sign seemed like an independent store.

After some ten minutes, Harley pulled the SUV over and left it idling. Khairah held tight to her temper; striking out at this woman would only delay her sire’s rescue. Harley opened the hatch, glancing around; this street was deserted. “Okay, great, you should be safe. It’s still daylight and you’re an Alpha.”

She reached for Khairah’s cuffs, and as she nervously unlocked them, Khairah said, “You should convince your friend to let the Demon go. This ‘cure’ of yours is only madness. And if you harm the Demon, you’ll pay a bitter price for it.”

“Kid, you don’t know me,” Harley said, a cold edge to her tone. “The way I see it, I’m owed for everything Alphas have done to me. And my daughter. Her daddy was a big scary vicious Alpha like your sire.”

Khairah rubbed her wrists, her eyes narrowing. As much as she wanted to hate this woman for kidnapping her, she had grown up among Omegas, all of whom had good reason to hate Alphas. She couldn’t help feeling a certain amount of compassion for someone who had never known a sanctuary like al-Hirz. “Your daughter’s father is nothing like my sire,” Khairah insisted, and she was Alpha enough that her tone held Harley’s attention. “You and your friend would’ve done this to _ me_. I’m not the one who hurt you - I’m no more responsible than your daughter is.”

She saw a flicker of hesitation in Harley’s eyes, then the woman scoffed. “Scram, kid. I’ve gotta get back and make sure the Demon hasn’t burned my girlfriend alive.”

“She wouldn’t, not after she gave her word to save me,” Khairah said, backing away warily.

“Then get outta here, and make it worth something,” Harley shot back, hopping into the SUV and gunning it.

Khairah took a deep breath, and looked around her. She had no idea where she was, and she’d been in this country less than a week. Still, somewhere there had to be stores, restaurants, other people.

And _ someone _ would have a phone.

…

Ivy pointed the way, following at a safe distance - and her vines kept pace, flowing along the walls. Talia managed to maintain a disaffected facade, but she found herself genuinely afraid.

The kind of madness that had taken hold of Bruce was deeply frightening. He at least had his most deeply-held principles, and had not killed. She knew her heart to be blacker than his, and Talia realized she’d been out of control since they found Khairah missing. She didn’t need some exotic toxin to shatter her restraint; her temper alone could do that. How much worse would Ivy’s ‘cure’ be?

Worse, if it actually _ worked_. They knew how to reverse the effects of the feral rage the earlier versions of the cure caused, and Talia would not feel guilty if she only murdered Harley and Ivy. Perhaps the rest could get here in time to subdue her, if she only ran mad. But if it actually _ did _ cure her… 

Talia had known from an early age that she was Alpha. Ra’s al Ghul had had her blood tested shortly after her birth, and she suspected that the reason he’d raised her himself and given her his name - unlike all her half-siblings across the centuries - was that she was his sole Alpha offspring. Not the son he’d wanted, but close enough. Her entire life, she’d known that leadership was her destiny, and that her Alpha nature made her exemplary. Being Alpha was as tightly woven into her self-image and sense of identity as being Arabic, or being a woman, or being al Ghul. Designation, ethnicity, gender, name, all of those things were essential to who she was. 

What would she be without any one of those core traits? As often as she’d regretted her name and her father, Talia couldn’t imagine a life without the Demon’s legacy. As often as she’d fought for respect from men, she couldn’t fathom giving up her femininity. As often as her skin tone and features caused friction in the West, she was still _ proud _ of her heritage and people. And as often as her instincts left her exhausted from grappling with them against the rules of civilized conduct, in her heart of hearts Talia _ loved _ being Alpha. It felt _ right_, to be strong, to be powerful, to take command. She cherished her protectiveness, and the responsibilities she treated as honored duties. And in the privacy of her own mind, Talia knew she loved being dominant in bed, too. That a man like Jason, whom everyone assumed was Alpha, tall and strong and intimidating, would offer her his throat and his body to do with as pleased them both … it was exhilarating, to have him.

If Ivy’s cure succeeded, she didn’t think Jason would leave her. He was not so shallow. Besides, the tables were often turned in their relationship; he took care of her as much as she did of him, and Talia knew very well the delights of surrender. But if she were no longer Alpha, it would change every relationship she had. Even that most sacred one.

Hope came from the unlikeliest places. She remembered Nygma, ready to attack her for manhandling Cobblepot. Apparently if the relationship was there, the actual designation did not matter so much. Perhaps, even if she lost a cornerstone of who she was, her bond with Jay would remain. So long as she had that, Talia could endure.

All of that reflection and decision took place deep in Talia’s heart, as Ivy walked her a short distance to a lab. “Put all your weapons on that table,” the redhead ordered, standing well back.

Talia had given her word to comply, and could not honorably refuse. Besides, she was a weapon herself, even unarmed. That didn’t mean she had to anticipate orders, though. She gave up her gun, her knives, and the garrotte hidden up one sleeve, but did not volunteer any of the non-lethal tricks of the trade hidden about her person.

And Ivy didn’t want to come close enough to search her. She picked up a syringe, and Talia stiffened. Ivy gave a scathing laugh. “Not here. You’re going in a cell. If it _ doesn’t _ work, I’m not going to deal with you running riot out here.”

“So little faith in your own design?” Talia asked.

Green eyes narrowed. “The only reason I don’t beat you half-senseless is that it might skew my results. _ Move._” She jerked her chin toward the door, and Talia knew the _ real _ reason was fear.

A sense of bitter triumph, at that. Ivy was the deadliest of Gotham’s rogues, and Talia had always steered clear of her. They had some similar goals and motivations, being concerned with the fate of the world and humankind’s ravagement of nature. Ivy cared even less for humanity than Ra’s al Ghul had for what he called ‘the rabble’, and she tended to discount or ignore people unless they forced her hand. If she had wanted to, she could’ve bent her will to the goal of annihilating Gotham’s populace - but she never had. Her true allegiance was to what she called the Green, and her only real link with humanity was Harley.

Whom Talia had nearly strangled to death moments ago. She had to be on her guard; she knew too well how vengeful wrath could subsume any sense of caution. Ivy directed her to a narrow hall lined with doors, and the moment her scent began to drift along it, an explosion of snarls greeted her. Talia halted, the hair on her nape rising, as the stench of rage-rut choked her sinuses. She growled back, low and deep, and most of the other locked-up Alphas fell silent.

From behind the nearest door, the sound only grew louder. Through the tiny window, Talia caught a glimpse of wild eyes and bared white teeth in an unnaturally dark face, the lines of the skull standing clear of flesh. _ Black Mask. _


	69. Chapter 69

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Early update this week - I'm almost through the action arc, and I don't want to keep you waiting a whole week on these cliffhanger endings. :) If I can keep making this kind of progress, I could be finished with the story by the end of next week. So, I'm going to try to post twice a week.
> 
> It looks like it's going to be around 80 or 85 chapters, and maybe 120k words. That felt _impossible_ when I started this last year. I only planned to tie up the loose ends left by the first fic, and it was just a plotbunny caused by reading AOB fic and wondering how it would work with my favorite characters.
> 
> Thank you to everyone who has read, left kudos, bookmarked, and especially everyone who has commented. I love interacting with all of my wonderful readers. You inspire me, and I would never have gotten this far without you.

Ivy slapped her palm against the glass. “Shut _ up_, Roman. You’re going to spend another three days sedated in restraints, if you keep this up.”

Black Mask still rumbled, but he backed away from the glass. His gaze, utterly insane, remained fixed on Talia. To force her own mind away from the instinctive desire to fight, she asked Ivy, “How are you keeping them from dropping dead of cardiac arrest? Arkham lost one after a ten-minute consultation with a suppressed Alpha doctor.”

“Mild sedatives and blood pressure medication in their food,” Ivy said. “We lost a few at first, too. You Alphas are surprisingly fragile.”

Talia knew that for a jibe, but did not rise to the bait. “We are not meant to remain in rut so long. At least you make _ some _effort not to murder your captives.”

“Quit stalling. Last cell on the right,” Ivy ordered.

She should have expected that it would smell like Khairah, and yet Talia stopped to draw in a startled, wounded breath. If only she could’ve been _ certain _ that Quinn would release her daughter … but Harley hadn’t wanted to hurt her in the first place. Of the two, Harley was the one susceptible to manipulation. Talia had to trust that she’d given Khairah a fighting chance. It was all she could do now.

She stepped into the cell, turning to face Ivy. Now was the moment when she could have gone back on her word; Ivy would have to approach closely to inject her. Now was also the moment when Ivy would be most alert for treachery, liable to launch a preemptive attack at the slightest hint of threat.

Poison Ivy stood in the doorway regarding her. “You’re really going to stand there and let this happen,” she said musingly.

Talia smiled at her, cold and cruel. She had made her peace with losing her mind, or losing her Alpha nature. So long as the people she loved were safe, everything else was trivial. What she could not lose, without losing her sense of self entirely, was her integrity. “I gave my word, Dr. Isley. I intend to _ keep _ it. It’s past time you learned what an Alpha _ truly _is.”

Ivy’s mouth curled up in a sneer, and she stepped closer, grabbing Talia’s arm. She took a length of rubber tubing from her pocket and wrapped it around Talia’s bicep. Rolling back Talia’s sleeve, she quickly found a vein, and gave the injection with no attempt at gentleness - but no unnecessary roughness, either. Pure clinical detachment.

Talia stood perfectly still throughout. Ivy had a cotton ball and a small bandage in her pocket as well, applying both to the injection site, and she stripped the tubing off Talia’s arm. The contents of the syringe felt cold, and Talia rubbed at her arm. “How long does it take?” she asked, keeping her voice level despite the unnerving sensation.

“A matter of minutes,” Ivy told her, and stepped smartly back, closing the door. Talia heard her mutter, “Harley, for the love of…” and then the jangle of keys as she removed them from the lock.

They regarded each other through wired glass, the Demon and the avatar of the Green, and Talia wished she’d gone out of her way to make an ally of Ivy long before. Perhaps it need not have come to this. She couldn’t help focusing on her own pulse, knowing every heartbeat bore the supposed ‘cure’ further along her veins. Soon it would reach her heart, her lungs, and then back through her heart to her brain.

For what felt like the hundredth time, Talia thought to herself, _ At least Khairah is safe. _

Sudden vertigo staggered her, and her nose felt stuffy. Talia took a step back, leaning against the wall, as her stomach roiled. She took a deep breath, and smelled _ nothing_. Not Khairah’s scent, not her own, not even that damned floral cleanser she’d picked up traces of in the hallway. She sniffed deeply, and still the air seemed lifeless and stale. It was the cure, just her dreadful luck that Ivy had perfected it, and Talia locked her jaw against a whimper of trepidation - or a prayer for deliverance. She’d put herself in this situation, no one could save her now.

She felt hollow, empty, husked out, as if she were a lamp whose flame had been snuffed. Talia throttled down the panic, and raised furious eyes to the window. “It works. And I will hate you for this until my very last breath.”

Ivy raised an eyebrow. “If it really _ is _ working, you might thank me. Don’t you want to be free of living by your nose?”

Talia laughed at her, a jagged edge to it. “If I wanted that, I’d just take suppressants. You miserable, misguided _ bitch_. I _ love _ what I am. And my lover loves me for it. I’d almost feel sorry for you, never knowing what it’s like.”

“I do feel sorry for you, so brainwashed you don’t recognize freedom when it’s given to you,” Ivy replied, and she actually sounded pitying.

That was hilarious, bordering on hysterical, and Talia wheezed with painful laughter. Her chest felt impossibly tight, and her heart was hammering as the realization hit her. “Freedom? You call this _ freedom_? Choice is freedom, Dr. Isley. The choice to take suppressants or forego them. The choice to love an Omega, a Beta, or an Alpha. The choice to live as I wish, and love as I wish. You cannot build a utopia by placing all your citizens in chains. Not everyone wants what _ you _ want.”

“It’s worth it, if no one else ever suffers like Harley suffered,” Ivy told her coldly.

Talia bared her teeth. “Joker should’ve died sooner. You can thank _ me _ for the fact that he did die. _ I _ saved Red Hood, and _ I _ gave him my blessing in revenge. I would have done it myself, and damn the consequences.”

“Of course you would, he’s been Batman’s enemy for so long, and he murdered Robin,” Ivy shot back.

Still struggling with wild laughter, Talia hauled herself upright. How ridiculous it all was! Ivy still didn’t see, she was so focused on one thing she’d lost sight of what was really important. “No, you don’t understand. Joker would have been a vicious psychopath whether he was Alpha, Beta, or Omega. He was _ always _ going to be an evil, abusive pile of offal. That’s just _ who _ he was, and _ what _ he was would never change it. You’re only blaming Alphas because _ Harley _ thought she needed him, for so long. _ She’s _ the one who forsook you, who turned her back on you, who went running back to him every time. Not because he was her Alpha and they were meant to be. Because he broke her mind and brainwashed her into thinking she needed him.”

Ivy’s expression at that was shocked, and Talia collapsed to the cold concrete floor, still shaking. At first it was with the sheer short-sighted inanity of it all. Harley and Ivy were both blaming Alphas for their problems, when they’d _ been _ part of the problem. And of course they overcorrected in the most dramatic fashion possible, because that was Quinn, she couldn’t help herself, and Ivy followed her as besotted as any Alpha.

Then she began shaking from a chill that swept over her, followed by a wave of heat. Some part of Talia knew that her emotional response was out of control, ricocheted around by fluctuating hormones, but she _ knew _ that red fog wrapping her bones in molten warmth. It was almost comforting, when she’d thought she was losing herself, to find Alpha rage returning.

Ivy looked in at her, troubled, and Talia bared her teeth again. Her voice was a singsong full of mockery when she spoke to her captor. “Dr. Isley … I don’t think your ‘cure’ works as advertised…” 

Ivy swore, just as the red haze rolled over Talia’s mind, and she rose to her feet with a wordless snarl in her throat and no coherent thought in her mind save vengeance.


	70. Chapter 70

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Friday, dear readers! I'm so excited for the upcoming arc. I think you're all going to hate me, in the best possible way. XD
> 
> Chapters are going to be a bit shorter but very action-packed. This one ran long; Harley's POV needed some room to ramble. And of course, things are about to get hectic starting next chapter.

Dick and Jay were working their way along the street where Jay had confronted the gangsters. Babs was still hunting for the white Cadillac Escalade, but Dick thought Talia had hidden it too well. There weren’t a lot of cameras in this relatively deserted part of town, anyway. Shuttered storefronts spoke of a recession that hit too hard, and so far no urban renewal projects had breathed new life into the area. It was a bit of a shame; some of the buildings were historic, with graceful architecture and fancy brickwork. Of course, they abutted ugly steel-roofed cinder-block warehouses and empty, cracked parking lots.

They weren’t here to admire the landscape, though. They were  _ trying _ to find his brother’s Alpha, or better yet, find Poison Ivy before Talia did. Dick walked a short distance away from him, both of them working along rooftops hunting for any scrap of evidence. This  _ was _ the place that Jay’s intuition wouldn’t stop focusing on, and Dick was willing to trust his instincts today.

In Jay’s pocket, his phone chirped. He took it out, and Dick suspected a call from Babs with information. But Jay frowned. “Local number,  _ not  _ the one Babs used earlier,” he said, and answered it warily. “Who is this?”

Dick watched his face, and saw his eyes widen hugely. “ _ Khairah?! _ ” 

…

Harley hurried back to the building, worried over Pam the whole way. She didn’t trust the Demon in the slightest. And guilt had started to gnaw at her. Khairah  _ was _ just a kid, after all. None of this had gone the way it was supposed to. They’d meant to  _ cure _ Alphas, and that wasn’t so bad. Betas got along perfectly well in society, Alphas could adapt to that. And if they couldn’t, then society was inherently biased in favor of Alphas and it was time for a change anyway.

She  _ hated _ Alphas. Feared them, too, but ever since Joker’s death a lot of her sublimated rage had come out. Harley had never had a chance to avenge herself on her abuser, so she took it out wherever she could, and Alphas as a whole were good targets. Take Roman for example, he’d always been one of the worst in town. His rages were legendary. He routinely smacked his lieutenants around, and half of them were Alpha, too. The man was unstable, she’d known that all along, just not  _ how _ unstable.

Roman had been the most difficult to catch, too. Most of them followed her docilely when she approached them wearing the Omega lure scent; Harley had only had to smack a few that got handsy. Surprisingly, playing bait had made her more confident around Alphas, knowing she could effectively turn off their brains and lead them by the nose anytime she wanted.

Until Roman. 

He was the strongest Alpha she knew of in town, other than Batman, and besides, she wanted to see him taken down. He’d always been borderline rude to her even when Joker was alive; after his death, Harley had avoided Black Mask, not wanting to find out how he’d act. She had brought Pam with her to get him, and it was a good damn thing she did. Unlike every other Alpha who purred and nuzzled and acted besotted, Roman had grabbed her by the throat and pinned her to the wall, ripping open her blouse. If not for a taser and a strong dose of sedatives, Harley shuddered to think how  _ that _ catch would’ve gone. She knew too well how violent an Alpha in rut could be, if their victim tried to struggle.

She was still afraid of him, honestly, even with him securely locked up in his cell. He growled every single time she walked by, with or without the lure scent. He growled at Pam, too, but Harley felt like there was an extra note of threat in his voice when she was around. 

Harley arrived back in record time, and no matter how worried she was, she stopped by the stairs for a second to listen. The TV was still on, playing one of Lucy’s favorite shows. That gave her a pang, too - she should’ve been spending time with her daughter this week. But then, they were trying to prevent what happened to Lucy and the other kids at her school from happening to anyone else.

That bastard coach hadn’t gotten very far with her. He’d just taken her picture - in the locker room, in only underwear, to compare muscle development, he said. But from the other families involved, taking photos like that was his first step in grooming them. There were four kids who’d been on ‘team-building’ trips where they ended up alone with him, and more who had been shown the ‘special warm-up stretches’ that involved the coach touching them in inappropriate ways. Harley had been in a frothing rage at the thought of him doing that to her daughter.

She’d given Lucy up so that the girl would be  _ safe _ from predatory Alphas. The worst she could imagine was Joker beating her. But this? It was sick and twisted. Of course an Alpha felt like they could do whatever they wanted with their charges. Harley knew all about Alpha possessiveness. It didn’t matter that Lucy hadn’t even presented yet, and Delia hadn’t gotten the blood test for her. All that mattered to the sick fucker touching little kids was that she was helpless and under his control. As so many Omegas were helpless under the authority of an Alpha’s voice.

Harley got nauseous every time she thought of it, and then she’d have to go hug Lucy and kiss her hair. The girl was surprisingly resilient; she’d been told that the coach was wrong for taking pictures like that, and anyone else who asked her to do something like that was wrong, too, and she should tell her parents. Harley had sat down to have the difficult conversation with her, about how bad people might  _ say _ she’d get in trouble for telling, but as long as she told the truth about such things, Harley would  _ never _ let anyone punish her for it. It had hurt to explain that sometimes grownups were wrong, and cruel, and they lied to little kids. Watching that knowledge sink in and seeing how solemn Lucy had become with the weight of it broke Harley’s heart.

Of course, an hour later she was giggling and swinging in a hammock made of vines, as if nothing had ever happened. Harley knew better, that there might be subconscious damage to the girl’s psyche which would show up later, but for now she was content to let Lucy be the sunny, sweet child she normally was.

She moved on, headed for the cells and steeling herself to confront the Demon. As it happened, Pam was walking out of the cellblock with a scowl on her face. “Everything okay?” Harley asked.

“She kept her word. But the new formula didn’t work. She’s as feral as the rest. If not worse.” Pam sighed and raked a hand through her hair, looking troubled. Very few people in the world could make Pam nervous, but Talia al Ghul was certainly one of them.

Harley went to her, wrapping her arms around Pam’s waist. She could change her scent at will, but to Harley she always smelled like wildflowers. Delicate, sweet, not the cloying heaviness of a hothouse rose - something far more ephemeral than that. Burying her nose in the crook of Pam’s neck always reminded her of one of the rare family vacations from her childhood, when they’d gone up to a big state park. Ten-year-old Harley had been exploring the trails, and seen a gorgeous meadow full of many different flowers. She’d laid down in the middle of the blooms, the fresh green smell of the grass and a hundred subtle perfumes tickling her nose. She’d watched the clouds crossing the sky and listened to the bees humming as they foraged for nectar in a state of total peace.

Later on she’d gotten yelled at by her parents for running off, and scolded by a park ranger for frightening her parents, and no one else in the family had enjoyed the hike, so they never went again. But every time she nuzzled close to her lover, Harley felt that same perfect, dreamlike peace. Everything would be all right, as long as she and Pam were together.

“I’m sorry, Pam,” Harley murmured.

“Next time…” she began, but Harley drew back.

“Maybe we should stop,” she said. And at the incredulous arch of an auburn brow, she continued in a rush, “You’re a chemistry  _ genius _ , Pam. If you haven’t been able to figure this out in this many tries, then maybe there’s something else we’re missing. Maybe we need to go back to the drawing board. We’re making these Alpha assholes  _ worse _ instead of better. And we haven’t been able to fix any of the feral ones, either. I just think we’re making a bigger problem for ourselves.”

She couldn’t help cringing, once she said it. Joker had been in his grave almost nine years, and still the old habits he’d ingrained in her persevered. If she’d questioned  _ his _ plans, she’d get a beating for defying him. Even if she was right and he  _ knew _ it, he’d beat her bloody for the way she said it. It had taken Harley far too long to realize that he was only looking for excuses to hurt her, that she hadn’t ever done anything wrong, and that he preferred her cowering and broken.

Pam would never, ever strike her. Not even if she  _ did _ say something insulting. She’d said plenty of hurtful things over the years, trying to drive Pam away because Joker told her to, and she’d never even gotten scolded for it. Pam’s answer to cruelty was silence. She never raised her voice, or her hand.

All she said now was, “What did the girl say to you?”

Harley winced. “It’s not so much what she said. She’s not that much older than Lucy, Pam. And I knew that when she opened the door of the hotel room. I should’ve walked out and left her, she’s just a kid. I was so busy worrying about getting another test subject, I didn’t even notice.”

“She’s an Alpha,” Pam said flatly.

Harley swallowed, and made herself say what had bothered her ever since Khairah spoke the words.  _ I’m no more responsible than your daughter is.  _ “Pammy … what if Lucy’s Alpha, too?”

Pam startled at that. “She’s not … she hasn’t shown any signs…” 

Miserably, Harley continued, “Alpha girls don’t always show until they present their first rut, and she’s kind of a late bloomer, hasn’t really even hit puberty yet. Without a blood test, we don’t know for sure. She  _ could  _ be, her father was Alpha, and even though Alpha girls are a lot rarer than Alpha boys, it’s still possible. We know that.”

It twisted her stomach to say it, to think of her sweet precious daughter growing up with the root of Joker’s violence in her. But Joker hadn’t just been an Alpha, he’d been a sadistic psychopath too. Being Alpha was just part of his evil, another tool he could exploit.

Harley swallowed, her throat dry, and faced the possibility she’d been ignoring since Lucy was born. “My sister and her husband, they don’t care, they’ll love her no matter what. And Pam … so will I. Even if she’s Alpha, she’s still my daughter. I don’t … I don’t want her to end up like them in the cells.”

Pam stroked her cheek gently. “I don’t think Lucy is Alpha. But I would never,  _ ever _ risk her. We’ll put the cure on hold, and work on fixing the Alphas we have. You’re probably right, there’s something we’re missing, and taking a break will help us see it.”

She was always so kind, to Harley and Lucy at least. “Let’s go find Lucy,” Harley suggested at last, and Pam nodded.

Pam had not yet noticed that the magnetic locks had been disabled; if Harley had thought about it at all, she would’ve assumed that Pam had relocked them. Neither of them glanced toward the panel on their way out of the cell block, and so they didn’t notice that their captive feral Alphas were presently held only by the sturdy steel locks on each door.


	71. Chapter 71

Jay’s heart gave an enormous kick in his chest at the sound of Khairah’s voice. “I’m fine, they let me go,” she told him. “You have to go get my sire. She traded herself for me, and promised not to fight them.”

“Fucking noble-ass honorable _ bullshit_,” Jay growled. “Of course she would. Don’t worry, Khairah, we’ll find her. Where are _ you_?”

A pause, and he heard a male voice in the background. “It’s all right, my stepfather is sending someone to get me,” Khairah told the other person. “I’m in a convenience store, at 411 71st Street West. Listen, Jay, the building they’re in is U-shaped, and it backs on an alley with a sign painted on the bricks for Kane Drug Emporium. I couldn’t see the streets while she was driving me. Can you find it from that?”

The name didn’t ring any bells for Jay, but that’s why they had Babs. “We can find it. I’m coming to get you first.”

“_No_,” Khairah said, and the force of Alpha command in her voice was backed by fear. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to do that. _ You _ need to go get my sire. I’m fine, I can wait.”

“I’m not leaving you on your own in the middle of the Bowery,” Jay retorted.

Babs spoke in his ear, and he wasn’t surprised that she was listening in. Typical Oracle, she’d probably hacked his phone and wired incoming calls to copy to her. “If they’ve already turned the Demon feral, we have to have you in the rescue party. As her Omega, you’re the only one we’re certain she won’t harm. We can send someone else to pick up your daughter.”

The next thing Jay heard was a sigh, then Steph’s voice. “Yeah, having an unsuppressed baby Omega around could be a liability, too. Not to mention Robin and Black Bat are both better fighters than me. I’ll go pick her up and take her back to the Roost, if you give me that address.”

“411 71st Street West,” Jay repeated into the comm, to make sure Steph had the info. And then for his own intrepid teen, “Khairah, Batgirl is coming to get you. She’ll be on a motorcycle, wearing black and purple.”

“Eggplant. Jeez, what a Philistine,” Steph muttered into the comm, but he heard her rev up her bike and it was music to his ears. Jay wouldn’t be fully content again until he could put his arms around Khairah and Talia both, but for now it was good enough to know help was on its way.

“I’ll be fine,” Khairah reassured him.

“You’d better be, I’ve already got enough ass to kick today,” Jay told her, and she laughed.

“I have to hang up. The man behind the register said he’s not supposed to let customers use the phone.” Jay could hear the clerk say something that sounded like he understood the special circumstances, and then Jay heard Talia’s grace and courtesy in Khairah’s voice. “Thank you. I do appreciate it. I’m safe now.”

“Take care of yourself, kiddo,” Jay told her quietly.

“I will, Mom,” she replied.

Jay clicked off the call and let out a huge sigh. “Okay, so my kid’s safe. Now we gotta find my Alpha. Oracle, she said a U-shaped building by an alley with a Kane Drug Emporium sign painted on a brick wall. Can you narrow that down?”

“I’m working on it,” she replied.

He had to bite his tongue not to urge her to work _ faster_, dammit. With Talia’s rescue so close at hand, Jay found himself tortured by impatience.

…

Harley walked into the room they were using as living quarters, her daughter’s name on her lips, but it died before it could reach the air. The television played to an empty room, cartoon animals cavorting across the screen. “Pam?” she whispered instead, horror filling her heart.

“She can’t be far,” Pam said quickly. “She must have gone looking for us.”

The pair of them began to search, worriedly, through all the rooms they used, and then through the unused parts of the building. The upper floors were unstable; neither of them dared to think that Lucy might’ve fallen through somewhere, but they started their search on the top floor anyway.

…

Talia paced the confines of her cell, fuming. She _ despised _ captivity, and would not suffer it for long. It took far too long for any rational train of thought to make its way through her rut-fogged mind, but she knew she could not be held here. She was the Demon. _ No one _ dared oppose her like this.

Her mouth was dry, and she found the sink, running its water for a moment. Talia cupped her hands and drank, again and again, the coolness of it a relief. Something about water prodded at her mind, it was important somehow, but she couldn’t focus.

From the corridor outside there drifted sounds that made the hair on the nape of her neck rise and her eyes dilate. Other Alphas, growling threats. No words, but she didn’t need words. She understood them all perfectly. Each snarl meant _ I am Alpha, I am to be obeyed. Fear me, yield to me, or die. _

And then a louder voice rang forth, a deeper and more vicious snarl than the rest. If it had a translation, that one would be, _ I want nothing more than to kill everyone in the range of my voice. Come here, let me rip your throat out. _

Some of the others fell silent at that blatant savagery, but Talia found her throat humming. She growled, long and low, and when that loud Alpha snarled back, she let her voice loose in something closer to a roar. _ Be silent, you screeching hyenas, a lion speaks. Stand down, or learn what a true Alpha is. I am the _ ** _Demon_**_. _

The rest of the Alphas quieted, but the loudest one - and thinking of him made Talia picture a black, masklike face in her mind’s eye - still growled softly. She did not deign to answer. Talia was an Alpha’s Alpha, she had said all she needed to say, and to respond to his cowardly rumblings would only give the false impression that she considered him a worthy rival.

Instead, she turned her mind to the door, which in her current state might as well have been advanced calculus. Somehow, someway, she had to find a weakness in it. There was no lock or handle on her side, no hinges either, and she began carefully exploring the entire surface of it with her fingertips, looking for the slightest hint of give or flex.


	72. Chapter 72

Khairah had gone out to wait on the street corner, watching all four approaches. She was expecting this Batgirl Jay had mentioned, but she couldn’t help looking out for the SUV her kidnappers had used. Now that she was free again, her nerves - which had remained steady through her search for a phone and the call to Jay - were shaken. 

What if Harley came back? What if it was all a double-cross? What if they pretended to release her only to reel in Jay and the rest? That didn’t make sense, they wanted Alphas, not Omegas, but she couldn’t stop worrying.

Hearing the motorcycle was a huge relief; seeing it, purple and black with a rider clad in the same colors, almost left her nauseous with the sudden release of tension. This was someone Jay said she could trust, and though Khairah had an Alpha’s natural wariness, she was more than happy to cede control of  _ this _ messed-up situation.

“Khairah?” the muffled voice behind the motorcycle helmet asked, and she nodded. “Hop on, I’ll take you somewhere safe,” the rider assured her.

Except … she caught a whiff of Omega, and paused at the curb. How did she know that Harley hadn’t caught this Batgirl on the way in, and stolen her uniform? “How do I know you’re the one I’m supposed to meet?” she challenged, stepping back.

“Oh man, Alphas and your paranoia,” the rider said, and popped the helmet off, unleashing a flood of honey-blonde curls down her back. She wore a domino mask in the same dark purple as the side-stripes of her uniform, and her mouth was curved in a wry smile. One glance, and Khairah knew this couldn’t be Harley - Batgirl’s skin tone was a healthy peaches and cream, not Harley’s ghostly pallor.

She was also no more than a year or two older than Khairah herself. And also, despite the mask obscuring her eyes, very pretty. At least, the golden hair and the smile and the confident way she sat astride the bike were  _ definitely _ making an impression. “Well? Do you need ID? I solemnly swear I’m Batgirl - and given the people who had that name before me, nobody in town would  _ dare _ try to impersonate.”

“Okay,” Khairah said, moving forward. She’d ridden pillion on a motorcycle before, and swung her leg over cautiously. “Sorry. It’s … it’s been a bad day.”

“I bet. No harm, no foul. Here, I’ve got a spare helmet,” the blonde girl said, passing one to her. “We’re going back to base. Thanks to you, the rest of the gang has a lead on your sire. Everything’s gonna be okay from here on out.”

Khairah gave a dry laugh at that. “I won’t be able to believe  _ that _ until my sire is back here safely, scolding me for opening that door.” She set about fitting the helmet on, snugging the chin strap securely.

“Not your fault. Those two managed to pull the same trick on a lot of older and wiser Alphas, including Batman. I’m pretty sure the Demon and Red Hood are just gonna be thrilled that you’re safe.” Batgirl put her own helmet on, and asked, “Ready?”

“Yes - wait. What’s your name?” Khairah asked. It seemed strange to trust her life to the driving of someone she only knew by a code name.

Batgirl turned, the visor up, and her smile became a grin. “No names on the first date,” she mock-scolded.

“You know mine,” Khairah pointed out, and put her hands on Batgirl’s waist for balance.

“Point. I’ll tell you at the Cave. If we’re lucky, we’ll get there before Hood and the rest make it back.” She kicked the bike back upright, twisted the throttle, and took off with casual ease.

…

Lucy had been stultifyingly bored, and the empty dusty rooms above were only more so. She headed down the back stairs - entirely missing Harley and Pam rushing up the front stairs in search of her - and wandered back to their living quarters. 

She wasn’t  _ not _ allowed in Harley and Pam’s bedroom. It just felt like trespassing, to be in there without either of them. Lucy tiptoed around, looking at things. Stacks of scientific journals by the bed, one of Pam’s nightshirts tossed over a chair, and her mother’s vanity table. Clambering into the chair, Lucy looked at the array of cosmetics in something like awe. Harley could completely change her appearance with these, make her eyes look larger and more luminous, make her lips seem fuller, or - as Lucy had once watched her do - make herself look like a harmless little old lady. The art of disguise fascinated her.

So did all the brilliant shades of lipstick and eyeshadow, but Lucy knew if she played with those, she’d get in trouble. Not that ‘trouble’ was any great hardship, the worst Harley had ever done was tell her she was disappointed and send her to bed early, but Lucy was a good girl, and didn’t like upsetting adults. She sighed, and her gaze fell on the perfume bottle at the edge of the table. It was Harley’s favorite perfume, by how often she wore it to go out, and Lucy picked it up.

One little spray couldn’t hurt, could it? And then it didn’t smell like anything much to her, faintly sweet like candy, so she sprayed it twice more.

Lucy heard a door slam, followed by Aunt Harley’s voice raised in a frightened call of her name, and realized with a start that she hadn’t seen either of the women for quite a while. She hurriedly skipped out of their bedroom, calling out, “Here I am!”

The two of them nearly collided with each other at the end of the hall, and they both looked so frightened for her that Lucy felt guilty. She felt horrible for scaring them, and bit her lip, tears welling up in her green eyes. “Baby girl, thank God you’re all right, we were scared you fell somewhere,” Aunt Harley said in obvious relief, striding toward her. 

Lucy ran into her open arms for a tight hug, murmuring, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, Lucy baby, it’s okay,” Aunt Harley soothed.

They both looked around when Aunt Pam gasped. “Harley - we have company. The Bats are here.”

Aunt Harley’s body tensed, and it felt like Lucy was hugging a statue made of thrumming piano wires. She turned, blue eyes boring into her daughter’s. “Lucy,  _ run _ , hide, don’t come out ‘til we tell you it’s safe,” she said urgently.

Lucy nodded, and let her go. She backed toward the bedroom, but thought that would be the first place anyone would look. She was the best at hide-and-seek among her friends from school, and one of her winning strategies was to choose a hiding spot that was the  _ last _ place anyone would look.


	73. Chapter 73

Babs came through with the address right after Steph reported that she’d picked up Khairah, and that was all Jay needed in life: a clear path. “Let’s _ go_, Wing,” he said, hastening his pace. They’d already been heading back toward the car, and if Dick didn’t speed up, Jay would just take his keys.

“Hood, wait,” Dick called, but there was no _ wait _ left in Jay. Dick had to grab his arm to slow him. “_Jay_. Listen to me. We do this by the book, we’re gonna wait for all of us to be there, okay?”

“Like hell we are,” Jay growled, yanking his arm from the other man’s grip.

Dick stepped into his space, his blue eyes behind the mask intense and worried. “Talia got herself in trouble running headfirst into this. I’m not going to risk losing you again when we just got you back. We’ll get her out, _ together_.”

All Jay wanted was to punch his face in, but that was just his fear and rage talking. He smothered the urge. “Dickie-Bird, you don’t understand. How long do you think Ivy waited to give her their bullshit cure? Especially when she wasn’t fighting back?” 

“Oh no,” Dick murmured.

Jay gave one decisive nod. “Talia’s _ already _ feral, I bet. And unless Ivy was damn careful, Talia’s already killed her and is running loose, maybe poisoned, _ definitely _ lethal to anything that crosses her path.”

Dick touched the comm embedded in his domino. “O, you copy that? We’re en route.”

“If I’m seeing the distances right, you should all arrive about the same time anyway,” Babs said in both their ears. “Permission granted to storm in and rescue your Alpha.”

“I was gonna do it anyway, but thanks,” Jay said, giving a short laugh.

Only a few minutes, Dick pushed the car to its limit, and Jay didn’t care about stealth or finesse. His helmet would block Ivy’s poisons pretty damn effectively; it had been designed to stand up against Scarecrow’s fear toxin and Batman’s sleeping gas too. 

“She’s been here,” Dick said as they pulled up to the building. He must’ve caught Talia’s scent, but he was putting in nasal filters and pulling on a mask for extra insurance now. Jay could hear two bikes approaching, plus a deeper growl from the Batmobile’s engine, and he didn’t wait. He just kicked the front door in, gun drawn.

The first room was a lobby, overgrown with vegetation, and it came to life under Jay’s feet. Cursing, he charged forward, trying to get past the vines before they could entangle him. Behind him, Dick threw something that hissed, and where it landed the plants frosted over. Freeze-grenades, Jay thought; not a part of the standard Bat-kit when he’d been a Robin, but damn useful here. 

Ivy and Harley burst into the room, and at the sight of them, rage swept over Jay again. These two psychos had _ kidnapped his kid _ and done God only knows what to his Alpha - they were both alive and unharmed, so Talia was probably locked up somewhere, and he hoped they hadn’t tried the cure on her.

If it failed, and she was feral, catching her was going to be worse than getting Bruce. If it worked … he’d kill them both. Jay loved Talia for herself, for her courage and her compassion, for her wit and the flashes of playfulness only he got to see. He would still love her if she’d been muted, but he knew it would scar her soul to lose something important to her. And anyone who hurt Talia had to answer to _ him_.

Cass and Tim swung into the fight, Bruce and Selina right behind them, and Jay targeted Harley. She was the one who’d kidnapped Khairah; she was the one whose blood he wanted to spill the most. The writhing vines hampered him now and then, but Ivy was trying to fight _ all _ of them and her attention was too divided to be really effective.

Jay zeroed in on Harley, knife in hand. Not the gun, he didn’t want to kill her outright. She might have information they needed, but he wanted her to know she’d been in a fight. She squared up to him, eyes ablaze, a baseball bat in her hands. There was no snarling or posturing, no threats or bravado; they weren’t Alphas, trying to make an impression on their opponent. Harley probably didn’t know about him, but they were both Omegas, and they fought with the deadly single-mindedness of their designation.

Dodging the bat was a pain in the ass, and Jay had to dance out of her way repeatedly. The rest were occupied with Ivy, and he let them handle her for the moment. He wanted Harley for himself. Sheathing the knife for now, Jay darted in and caught the next swing of the bat. It stung his palms, but his gloves were lightly armored, and that was all he needed.

He saw the fear in Harley’s eyes when he wrenched her weapon away, and didn’t care. Jay had never had any particular grudge against Harley; she hadn’t been involved in his death. That had been before her time. If anything, he’d had compassion toward her, for being so thoroughly ensnared by the same vicious beast who killed him.

She’d started this fight, though, and he intended to finish it.

Harley was a good fighter, by Gotham standards, but her background was gymnastics and she’d learned to fight on the streets. Jay had decades of focused martial arts training, first with Batman, then with the League of Assassins. He quickly forced her into defending herself, unable to get in a strike on him, and drove her to the wall. Jay gritted his teeth and set about taking her down, his fists moving swiftly and methodically. He hammered at her, and though Harley was fast enough to block a lot of his shots, he’d bloodied her face and broken some ribs by the time he got in the blow to the solar plexus that dropped her to her knees.

Jay drew his knife, the one Talia had given him ten years ago, and advanced on Harley. The wavy blade caught the light, and it must’ve caught Pam’s eye too. A vine wrapped itself around Jay’s leg, jerking him off balance.

While he slashed at it, trying to free himself, Harley staggered to her feet. Spitting blood, one eye swelling shut, she still tried to grab for her weapon.

A loud _ crack_, and Selina’s whip wrapped around Harley’s wrist, yanking her away from the bat. “Selina?” Harley yelped, looking surprised. The three women had been good friends at one point, Jay knew, and maybe Harley thought this was a betrayal. He didn’t care, cutting himself free of the vines.

“It’s over,” Selina said flatly, her diamond-tipped claws sparkling. “Harley, we know this is about Lucy. I can’t _ imagine _ how hurt and angry you are … but you crossed a line when you tried the cure on Batman. And then another one when you kidnapped Red Hood’s stepdaughter.”

“You don’t understand,” Harley whimpered, clutching her belly. Jay moved up to out-flank her, ready to pounce.

“No, _ you _ don’t understand. Give it up before you get hurt any worse, Harley. We’ll make sure your daughter’s safe, and we’ll fix the rest of the Alphas the same way we fixed Batman. You _ don’t _ want to fight me and Hood.” Selina gave a bitter smile, and added, “Nothing deadlier than an Omega whose Alpha is in trouble.”

Harley’s eyes widened. “You … oh_, shit_.”

Jay barked a laugh. “Both of us. You’ve got _ my _ Alpha locked up somewhere, Quinn, and if I don’t get her back in one piece, I’ll take home your head on a spike for a consolation prize. Don’t think the Bat can stop me. You’re only breathing now because you turned the kid loose.”

At that, Harley looked genuinely fearful. “You can _ have _ her. Just don’t hurt my daughter.”

“No matter what, we’d never do that,” Selina said.

Just then, they heard a thump and a cry of pain, all three of them turning to the battle they’d been neglecting. Batman, Red Robin, and Nightwing had all effectively distracted Poison Ivy long enough for Black Bat to sneak in and ambush her. Now, Ivy was on the ground, winded, glaring savagely as Batman readied his cuffs.

Harley raised her hands. “Okay, okay, you got us. I’ll take you to them…”

Everyone froze as an Alpha’s snarl echoed loudly from somewhere in the building. “They’re _ out_,” Ivy whispered, her eyes wide.

And then an unmistakable sound split the air: a child’s scream of terror.


	74. Chapter 74

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A shorter update this time, but we needed to see Lucy's perspective.

Khairah began to feel uneasy. Batgirl hadn’t spoken since they set out, and it would’ve been mostly futile with the windspeed, anyway. When they stopped for a light, she leaned forward and spoke up. “You should take me to that building where my sire is. I can help them catch her.”

“Nuh-uh, no can do,” the girl said, shaking her head. “My orders were to take you back to base.”

“I didn’t realize heroes had to take orders from anyone,” Khairah cajoled.

Batgirl laughed. “Yeah, well, heroes in high school still have to listen to their elders. I’m used to telling Batman to stuff it, but I won’t cross Oracle.”

“Oracle?” Khairah asked, trying to remember if she’d heard Jay or Talia say that name.

“The all-seeing, all-knowing. Besides, Hood wanted me to take you home. I think he’d be even more pissed than Oracle if I brought you into the middle of the same danger you just got out of.” The light changed, and Batgirl took off more gently.

“What if they need another Alpha?” Khairah asked worriedly.

“Batman’s an Alpha. They’ll be fine. Trust me,” Batgirl said.

Khairah heaved a sigh. She didn’t have much choice in the matter.

…

Lucy had run for the one place no one would expect to find her, the corridor Aunt Pam and Aunt Harley had told her to stay away from. She’d snuck in there once, the last time she came to visit, when it was just a bare hall with doors every few feet, leading into tiny empty rooms with holes in the walls for pipes and open drains in the floors. It had smelled of sawdust and glue and paint, and she’d been interested for a few minutes, but abandoned the place when she found nothing interesting there.

She thought, now, that it would be good to hide there. With so many rooms, if someone searched, she could pop out behind them and run away. But the moment Lucy shoved open the door, she knew she’d chosen wrong.

The corridor was no longer a series of empty rooms. All of the doors were firmly shut, but as Lucy skidded to a halt, the letter-boxes mounted in the doors clacked open. Weird, creepy sniffing noises came from the other side, followed by low growls, and Lucy wondered if they were keeping animals down here. Aunt Harley used to have pet hyenas… 

She had no idea that the ‘perfume’ she’d sprayed on in Harley’s bedroom, which had very little discernible odor to her young nose, was actually the Omega lure scent. Harley hadn’t noticed it on her, either, already wreathed in the same perfume. Nor would Lucy have understood that the odor which enthralled normal Alphas was maddening to the captive ferals.

Lucy _ did _ begin to realize she’d made a dangerous mistake when the door nearest her shuddered in its hinges with a massive impact. Her eyes flew up to the small window, and to her horror she saw a ghastly black skull with burning eyes staring out at her.

She fled from that sight, running to the back of the corridor. The rest of the doors began to rattle, as whatever monsters were behind them flung themselves at the doors recklessly, snarling and slavering. Lucy shivered in terror, grabbing at the one door that wasn’t moving. If she could lock herself in, maybe they wouldn’t find her… 

That door, too, was locked. Lucy whirled, realizing she was trapped in a dead end. The first door was being battered off its hinges as she watched, and she slunk to the opposite side of the corridor, pressing herself against the wall. She watched, like a rabbit watching the shadow of a falling hawk, as that skull-faced man kicked the door apart. He glared at her through the hole he’d made, and snarled again.

The rest of the doors were coming open too, and Lucy cowered. Right now, the worst nightmare she could imagine was happening. All of the mad-eyed monsters she could hear were trying to get out and attack her. They _ looked _ human, except for their crazed expressions. They were like the zombies in the movies her parents didn’t want her to see, the ones she secretly watched on sleepovers with other kids. Most of the time, kids in those movies got killed. It was scary, but kind of fun to be scared, when it happened on screen and you could tell that the actors were just using fake blood.

When it was happening for real, and you were the one who was going to be punched and bitten, it was the bad kind of scary.

With one more mighty kick, the skull-faced man burst out of his cell. He took a step toward her, and Lucy didn’t even hear the bang of a door crashing open behind her. All she could see was that nightmare face, bright white teeth bared in fury, and the monster let out a roar of triumph.

Lucy cringed, and that was when a hand fell on her shoulder. She shrieked in fear, trying to struggle free.


	75. Chapter 75

The door of Talia’s cell was solid, sturdy wood, and the lock was equally secure steel. She had a screwdriver in her kit, and had begun unscrewing the frame bolted around the window when all hell broke loose.

First, the main door banged open and shut. Talia froze, listening, and pocketed the screwdriver. She didn’t want to be caught trying to escape; they’d only take stronger measures to restrain her.

Next, she heard the letter boxes rattling, and the other Alphas sniffing, then growling. Talia held her silence, breathing deeply, and carefully opened the letter box in her own door. A faint trace of scent came to her, and she gasped. In her present state, she thought in images instead of words, and that scent brought a beloved face to her mind’s eye.

_ Jay was here.  _

The other Alphas screeched and bellowed, and Talia abandoned stealth. Jay needed her. The two of them could handle their foes together, but she no longer had time or patience to unscrew the window frame. Instead, she backed up to the far wall and ran at the door, planting a kick just above the lock.

The doors were strong, and the locks were strong, but they had been set in ordinary framing: soft pinewood, in place only a matter of weeks. Talia’s first kick made the door jump in its frame. While the rest of the Alphas tried to batter down their doors with sheer brute force - and some of them were large and strong enough to be successful - Talia applied her strength with surgical precision. Three powerful kicks ripped the lock right out of the door frame, and it banged against the wall.

She strode out, her scent rolling ahead of her in a wave. Jay was right in front of her - but Talia halted, lifting her head and sniffing.

Her nose said that was  _ Jay _ , and Jay in delicious heat. 

Her eyes, however, said that was a child, too young to know what heat was. 

On one point, the dissonance was resolved: either way, this one needed her protection. The other Alphas in the corridor were glaze-eyed with hunger, sniffing eagerly, and none of them seemed to notice or care that the source of the bewitching heat-scent was a little girl. 

Perhaps most of them would have stood down, after getting a closer look at her, but Talia was taking no chances. The metallic stink of rut was too thick in the air, and  _ some _ sort of fight was imminent. She reached for the girl’s shoulder, and even when the child screamed in surprise, Talia didn’t let go.

She tugged the girl behind her, pushing her toward the cell she’d just left, and set herself between the child and the five Alphas who had made it out of their cells. Talia growled long and low, not a challenge but a promise - none of them would pass her.

From the back of the group came a rippling snarl, and Talia curled her lip. Black Mask, of course. The other four moved toward her at his instigation, hunting together like a pack of hounds.

They were no true pack, of course. They had no betas to steady them, and they did not know one another well enough to fight together in any kind of unity. Talia smiled grimly, and stepped forward to meet them, angling toward the closest.

She had no weapons, and this promised to be a grueling fight in close quarters. Instinctively, she sought to spare her hands as long as possible. When the first Alpha tossed his head to snarl, Talia silently closed the distance and kicked him in the belly, as hard as she’d kicked the door to escape. It staggered the man, his eyes gone comically wide, and Talia swept his leg, dropping him to one knee. That made him a more convenient height for her to land an elbow-strike squarely against his neck.

It could have been a fatal blow, crushing his trachea, if he hadn’t tried to throw himself aside desperately and thus taken the strike on the side of his neck. As it was, the Alpha scrabbled away from her, panicked and bewildered.

That left Black Mask, waiting, and three more Alphas between him and Talia. Only then did she lift her head, and  _ roar _ at them.

They hesitated, and lost their stomach for this fight. Just as she planned - one demonstration of overwhelming force was enough to cow men unused to battle. Her training was deeply ingrained, and she didn’t need to think in words to plan such a simple strategy. As one, the other Alphas turned and fled through the open door. Black Mask struck out at them as they passed, but his eyes never left Talia.

She stalked toward him, one more stride, and he answered it. His scent hit her nose, and it roiled her gut. He smelled like hot steel and cold ebony wood, overlaid with the musk of lust and rage. That rut-scent made him stink like a wild boar, and Talia knew the stench of frustration and rage and sadistic desire.  _ Bane _ had smelled like a pig to her nose, and she’d bathed a dozen times the day after, imagining his greasy scent still clinging faintly to her skin.

Black Mask was not so intimidatingly massive as her nightmare, but he was taller and broader-shouldered than Talia was. It was enough for the shadow of memory to fall on her, and for Talia to falter.

Behind her, the girl who smelled like Jay whimpered, pitiful and hopeless. As Hadiyah had whimpered, cowering from Bane. And from Talia herself, who had not had the strength or the experience to save her then. She’d vowed never to let that happen again, and the determination was rooted deep in her heart.

Someone  _ needed _ her protection, and fear stood in Talia’s way. She’d been a warrior all her life, she’d killed a grown man before she was even old enough to present as Alpha, and this was simply one more battle. 

She was an  _ assassin _ . So Talia killed the fear in her own heart, first, and strode forward bravely to kill the man who caused it.


	76. Chapter 76

All of them were galvanized by the girl’s scream. Harley’s eyes widened in horror and recognition, and she cried out, “_Lucy!_”

Her daughter was in the cellblock. The child she’d been so afraid for, the one she cherished so much she’d made the ultimate sacrifice and given her up so she could have a better life than what Harley, despite all her love, could ever hope to offer, _ that _ unlooked-for and undeserved spark of joy in Harley’s life was in danger now. This was her most terrifying nightmare made real, and the worst part of it was, she’d helped create the very monsters who could be tearing her daughter apart right now.

“You’ve got the fucking kid here?” Hood snarled, incredulous.

Batman released Pam, looking at Harley. “_Go_,” he commanded, and all the rest followed as Harley bolted for the cell block. No matter how much she hated the Bats, she was glad to have them for backup now.

Guilt and terror added fuel to the fire of maternal protectiveness in her chest, giving Harley strength to run toward her daughter. _ Everything _ hurt; she’d been beaten badly before, too many times to count, but Red Hood was on another level. There was a coldness to his fury that not even his terrifyingly strong Alpha could match; Talia had meant to throttle her, to kill her for the offense of harming the kid. Hood wanted to _ obliterate _ her for the same crime. Of course he did, he was as single-minded as she was. Harley never would’ve guessed he was Omega - no one had ever known for sure about the Robins, Batman sprayed them down with a variety of perfumes so no one could ever be certain - but seeing him as Red Hood, he’d looked and acted and smelled like a classic Alpha. The fact that he was hooked up with the Demon just meant she had a taste for Alpha men. Not the weirdest thing Harley had ever heard.

In her heart of hearts, Harley couldn’t blame either of them for trying to kill her. She’d fucked this one up from the beginning, crying on Pam’s shoulder in horror and heartbreak when Delia told her about the case. It was because of her that Pam got involved; she’d never cared much about anyone else’s designation. Pam had hated Joker for being _ Harley’s _ Alpha, not just for being an Alpha.

Harley had ripped out part of her own soul, giving up her beautiful baby, and not even that pain could spare Lucy from being a target for abusers, the same way Harley herself was. Somewhere in the back of her mind, what Joker always told her felt true: that Harley herself was weak, that she was made to be broken, that she deserved every bit of suffering he put her through.

The beatings weren’t the worst of it. Harley could handle a fight, and she healed pretty quick anyway. The rapes - well, it had taken a long time for Harley to even realize that it had _ been _ rape, to know that an Omega in heat could say no, and mean it. She was Joker’s Omega, that was her _ job _ as far as he was concerned, and if things got rough, well, that was just how Alphas were. He was always so kind and conciliatory afterward, kissing her bruises tenderly. The enlightening little conversation that made her realize just what he’d done to her had taken place in Catwoman’s apartment, and the revelation of how bad it had been had nauseated both Pam and Selina. Pam had been furious; if Joker had still been alive, she would’ve killed him right then. Selina in particular had been adamant that Alphas weren’t supposed to be like that, and Harley had dismissed her at first, thinking it was different between an Alpha and a Beta. As it turned out, though, Selina had known better than she let on.

The _ worst _ of it all, the part she hadn’t told her friends, was that Harley kind of liked it. _ All _ of it, the pain and the force and the feeling of being used. It made her feel guilty, and dirty, even though she had a thorough understanding of paraphilias and a pre-existing interest in BDSM. Joker would hide her suppressants or dose her with Insta-Heat when he wanted her, and in heat _ everything _ was delicious. If she protested after the fact, he’d always pointed out that she got off, so obviously she’d actually wanted it after all. Sometimes, Harley _ had _ gloried in being the one he wanted so much that he had to leave bruises and bite marks all over her skin. His ferocity had seemed _ romantic_, even the time he’d dislocated her jaw.

It had taken her a long, _ long _ time to untangle abuse from kink, and to understand that other Alphas could take ‘no’ for an answer, even when they were in rut. And then, when she’d been making progress in forgiving herself for letting Joker treat her like that, all of this with Lucy had happened, and the girl didn’t even realize at first why what the coach had done was wrong. She was so innocent, in ways Harley could barely remember being, and Harley had felt such rage at the tiniest crack in that safe sheltered worldview. She’d blamed Alphas, and she’d blamed herself, too.

Hood and Catwoman were right beside her, giving up their grudges for the moment to try and save her kid. Another stab of guilt there; _ she _ was the one who’d brought Lucy here, not wanting to explain to Delia why it was a bad time - and not wanting to miss the chance to see her daughter, either. The dual locks were very secure, and she’d thought it would be safe enough. Perhaps her risk assessment skills were as messed up as her perspective on relationships. Harley had also assumed that twelve was old enough to listen, when told not to go into certain parts of the building, but she’d been terribly wrong.

Now she was paying the price. All Harley could think, as she forced her battered body to run for the cell block, was that she’d gladly trade her life for Lucy’s, if she could get there in time.


	77. Chapter 77

Jay couldn’t believe that Harley had brought her fucking _ kid _ here. He wanted to hit her again, just for that; it was a ridiculous risk to take.

Then again, he and Talia had left Khairah alone in a hotel room. Some risks seemed reasonable at the time, and only hindsight revealed the true danger.

He was right at her heels - and she was making good time for a woman with broken ribs - when he heard Talia’s voice somewhere up ahead. Her growl had always been more intimidating than many other Alphas, but _ that _ sound was an order of magnitude beyond anything he’d ever heard before. His mind flashed to one of their trips to India, where they’d had a free day and Talia had cajoled him into visiting one of the national parks. They’d seen an astounding array of wildlife during the day, but at night, he’d been startled out of a deep sleep by the roar of a tiger that sounded like it was right outside their cabin door. Talia, of course, had been charmed, and had told him the big cat was likely some distance away, roaring to scare off another tiger challenging its claim on the territory.

Now she sounded like a tiger herself, and Harley shuddered to hear the sound. “Don’t hurt my baby, please don’t hurt my baby,” she sobbed as she ran, pushing herself even faster.

“She’s not the one you gotta worry about,” Jay said grimly, hearing other Alphas snarl in response. No matter _ what _ she and Pam had done to Talia, he didn’t believe she could ever hurt a child. And then they were all too busy to talk, because four Alphas came charging out of a side corridor toward them.

Behind him, Bruce growled in frustration. The hall they were in was too narrow for him to pass Jay, Harley, and Selina, running pretty much abreast of one another. Jay made a swift tactical assessment; the four men coming toward him were fit and muscular, like most Alphas, but none of them moved like martial artists. One of them seemed injured, a hitch in his stride like he couldn’t catch his breath. And all of them seemed more interested in fleeing what was behind them than in actually _ attacking _ the large group coming the other way.

Seeing them as a minimal threat, he didn’t bother to draw his gun. Jay didn’t want to fight these men; Dick and Tim and Cass and Bruce and even Pam could handle them. He only wanted to get to Harley’s kid and his own Alpha, making sure both were safe. 

The fleeing Alphas, however, clearly saw him and the rest as a threat. The first man tried to grapple Jay, and he was the same height and weight. If not for training, it could’ve been dangerous. Jay led with a heavy punch to the chest, and shoulder-checked the man toward the wall, trying to get through.

Harley and Selina were having a little more trouble, being shorter and more lightly built. The wounded Alpha hung back, panting, but the other two had each cannoned into one of the women. Jay thought Harley might have keys he needed, so instead of running ahead he devoted a moment to yanking her attacker off her. Then the first one tried to jump on his back, and the wounded one got into it, and despite his efforts he found himself embroiled in a close-quarters fight. It was too fast for any of them to use batarangs or knives; the risk of hitting an ally was too great.

They would’ve prevailed, with numbers and training and teamwork on their side, but it was taking up precious time. Jay flinched when the first vine slithered past him, and then stared in surprise as Ivy’s plants tangled up only the four feral Alphas. He hadn’t expected help from that quarter; hell, he still expected her and Harley to turn on them as soon as the girl was safe. Maybe she’d finally clued in to the fact that they desperately needed the Bats, this time.

Harley had squeezed past the attacking Alphas, at the expense of a few new bruises, and she was limping heavily as she tried to run. Jay passed her, with Bruce and Dick right behind him now, and saw the door they’d come out of standing ajar. He bolted in, skidding on the blood pooling on the floor inside the cell block.

Dick slipped, too, but caught his balance, and Harley staggered to a halt just behind him. Bruce came in more sure-footedly and more silently, but all of them stopped, staring. Jay’s trained eye noted the six busted-down doors in passing, and the blood spatter on the walls, which looked to him like a brief but intense fight had taken place.

What he couldn’t avoid noticing was the body slumped face-down on the floor, from which the large pool of blood was seeping. He recognized the smooth black skull even without seeing the face; that was Roman Sionis, lying dead in a heap. Jay took a careful step nearer, not knowing if the other cells were occupied. And six doors had been broken down; one loose Alpha was still unaccounted for.

He saw something odd about Black Mask, and then smiled coldly as he recognized the handle of one of their standard kit screwdrivers protruding from just behind Sionis’ ear. The point was surely buried in his brain stem. That was _ Talia’s _ work: perfect, precise, and extremely lethal. Sionis must’ve shattered his face, hitting the ground like that, and blood might have been leaking from other wounds as well.

Which meant Talia was loose, so she was the last Alpha they had to deal with, and Jay straightened up, thinking their task had gotten easier. She had to be in one of the cells… 

Harley managed to whimper out a hopeless, “Lucy?”

From the last cell on the right, a child’s high voice answered waveringly, “Mama?” Harley gasped, and started to move, but the next sound froze her in place.

From the same cell came an Alpha’s growl, rippling with imminent threat.


	78. Chapter 78

Talia appeared in the doorway, her nose wrinkled and her lip curled up in a steady, thrumming snarl. Jay had never seen her like this. Talia was always composed, valuing poise and self-control even in the midst of battle. Now her eyes blazed, almost lambent in their ferocity and utterly devoid of sense. She also looked like hell: one sleeve of her blouse was ripped nearly off, her hair was mussed, and a fresh scrape on her jaw oozed blood. Normally a fight wouldn’t take that much of a toll on her, but she’d gone into this one unarmed and unarmored - and still emerged triumphant.

None of that changed the steadiness with which she held a shiv, pointed at all of them, or her solid defensive stance. Jay knew her well enough to know she didn’t mean to move from that spot unless they killed her. He started to raise his hands, ready to talk her down.

Harley had none of his certainty or patience. She called out her daughter’s name, trying to rush forward, and Dick grabbed her arm to stop her. Talia’s attention swung to her, and the growl rose a notch.

Behind her, a young blonde girl peeked out of the cell and saw Harley. That had to be Lucy, and Jay was relieved to see her unharmed. “_Mama!_” she cried, and darted around the maddened Alpha in the doorway.

Talia grabbed the girl by the shoulder, hauling her back. Harley screamed as if she’d been stabbed, her hands clenching on empty air as she struggled in Dick’s hold, but Talia didn’t maul the child. She just pulled Lucy behind her, standing defensively between her and the rest of them.

“She won’t hurt the girl,” Bruce said, trying to reassure Harley. Unfortunately it attracted Talia’s attention, and her focus shifted to him. 

Talia took a step forward, her snarl rising again, the shiv pointed at Bruce now. He froze, watching her. Jay hesitated, remembering the feral who had died in Arkham after being confronted with another Alpha. Remembering, too, the confrontation he’d broken up in the Manor kitchen, and the earlier fight on the rooftop. Talia wouldn’t back down, now, if she closed with Bruce.

Lucy had apparently had enough. She balled up her fist and punched Talia in the side. Harley yelped, stricken, but Talia didn’t retaliate.

She did flinch, letting the girl slip past, and no matter how furious Jay was, he couldn’t help feeling a twinge of pity along with the relief when Lucy ran into her mother’s arms, and Harley held her close, kissing her gratefully.

He spoke quietly, his voice firm. “_That’s _ an Alpha, people.” Harley winced; tough luck for her. He couldn’t have let it pass. If Harley and Ivy had known what an Alpha was _ supposed _ to be like, they never would’ve started all this. Kill the coach, sure, the world needed fewer people like him, but the rest? They’d been innocent. 

“We still have a problem,” Dick said warily. Now that Talia was no longer trying to protect the girl, she had moved forward, her gaze fixed on Bruce, her growl pulsing with challenge.

…

Still grappling with his own unsuppressed instincts, Bruce saw Talia through three layers. His Alpha nature did not want to allow her growl to pass unchallenged. His rigorous training reminded him that she was probably the superior fighter, especially if she was willing to kill him. And his memories played back every time he’d seen that snarling mouth curved in a smile.

She was younger than him; too young, by some standards perhaps, but Talia had been expected to carry herself like an adult from the time she could walk, and she had presented herself as a woman grown and brimming with Alpha confidence when she’d been merely nineteen. He could not have helped loving her, that fierce and compassionate heart, that brilliant mind, the beauty that struck him like a falling meteor - and her casual acceptance of her own physical perfection. Bruce had a tendency to brood, while Talia acted. They’d seemed exactly suited to one another. He had even forgiven her for the man she’d killed when they first met, assuming she had little choice and was desperate to save him.

Until he saw her kill again, and fully understood that Ra’s al Ghul had raised Talia to be an assassin. 

Her confidence turned into arrogance, and he watched her harden her kind heart to do what her father thought must be done. In one of their last arguments, she’d snapped at him that he was a dreamer, a hopeless idealist, and he’d countered that she was entirely too pragmatic in her callous disregard for others’ lives.

Bruce had seen her hand at work when Jay murdered the Joker; it was a cold-blooded killing, mercilessly efficient, with none of the wrath Jay _ had _ to still feel. That was Talia’s level of self-control; if not for Jay on the surveillance cameras he would’ve assumed _ she _ had made the kill, and Bruce had raged at that. He’d wept over it, too, assuming his son was lost to him all over again.

He’d been almost numb when he confronted them over Bane’s headless corpse, and it was _ Bane_. Of course he’d assumed that slaying was in revenge for Bane breaking his spine. When Talia called him by name - as she never did - and told him it was not about _ him_, that had been the first inkling he had that Bane’s crimes were worse than even he knew. Bruce had been distracted from that thread of thought by the way Jay and Talia behaved around each other. Jay almost seemed _ protective _ of her, and it disturbed him in nameless ways.

When he’d kept trying to reach out to Jay, he’d eventually gotten an answer that spelled out the nature of their relationship too bluntly for Bruce to pretend otherwise. He’d then made a series of assumptions that all turned out to be mistaken: that Talia had discovered Jay was Omega and had seduced him for revenge against Bruce, and that Jay was mostly enraptured by a powerful Alpha who also happened to be a beautiful woman. 

He’d recently learned better. Odd as it seemed, the two had genuine, mutual love for one other. When _ Dick _ of all people defended them, Bruce had to accept that he’d been wrong. Dick had hated Talia for years, and left to his own devices he might’ve tried to simply kidnap Jay away from her. If they convinced him, and Barbara, and Cass, and _ Alfred_, Bruce couldn’t deny them. If they were both happy, then that was more than he’d ever been able to give either of them.

Now he faced Talia at her worst, with all of her protective instincts roused. She still had all of her training in the art of war, as he knew from personal experience. If he tried to fight her, she might kill him.

The question was, could he still trust her to be herself? Even with Ivy’s damnable ‘cure’ turning her feral? Lucy had been safe in her care, that much was obvious, but the rest of them were adults - and _ he _ was Alpha.

At his own worst, when he’d kept himself away from his family for fear of hurting them, Bruce had not wanted to hurt Talia. She’d had to provoke him into a fight. However, he knew she was more inclined to violence than he was, even without this hyper-rut state. 

He also remembered that when he’d been coming out of this state, and found her alone with Stephanie, a hint of command in her voice, he’d been seized by the need to subdue her to protect the young Omega. Surely Talia felt that same need now, surrounded by Omegas with the scent of heat in the air. That had to be the lure Ivy had crafted, though he couldn’t pinpoint where the scent was coming from. It explained, at least, why the Alphas had been so savage. To Bruce, it smelled like Selina rendered more delightful than ever before, the purest distillation of her scent. He knew that to Talia, it would smell like Jay in heat. 

She had to deal with _ him _ somehow, her instincts demanded it, and he could not let this become a battle. One avenue was open to him, the one Talia had not been able to take when he’d confronted her.

Bruce took a deep breath, and dropped his gaze. Talia fell silent, still watching him warily and poised to strike. Then, carefully, he went down on one knee, and tilted his head aside to bare his throat to her in submission.

“Oh you brave, _ brave _ man,” Selina breathed, somewhere behind him. Most of his family was ranged outside the door, and it went against the grain to humble himself in front of people he was supposed to protect - but _ Talia _ would protect them, too. As long as she didn’t think she had to fight _ him _ for the privilege.

The scent of her - sweetness and warmth buried beneath the bitterness of rut and rage - flooded his nose as Talia stepped closer. 


	79. Chapter 79

Jay was aware of all of them: Dick right beside him, one hand on Harley’s shoulder; Harley holding her daughter and staying down, watching Talia with terrified eyes; Ivy somewhere in the back of the pack, her vines at the ready; Cass moving infinitely slowly past Selina and Tim, trying to angle herself to protect Bruce if need be. And of course, Bruce himself, on one knee with his throat bared.

Talia took a step closer, looking down at him, and her posture finally began to relax. She lowered the shiv, and her expression became more curious than wrathful. Bruce held perfectly still, and Jay decided this was his moment.

The instant he moved, Talia turned toward him, stepping back from Bruce. She was keenly attuned to motion, positioning herself to be able to lunge at any of them. She raised the shiv again, hesitantly this time, and Jay showed her his empty hands. “Easy, babe, it’s me,” he said gently.

Her eyes looked puzzled, and she drew in a deep breath. Talia glanced at Harley and Lucy, then back to him, her brow furrowed. Jay reached up and popped his helmet off so she could see his face. “Talia, I’m here. You’re okay. Let us help you.”

When he started to move toward her, she growled and stepped back, glancing at Harley again. Dick made a quiet, worried sound, but Jay wasn’t afraid of Talia. _ Something _ had her confused. He just had to figure it out and get her calmed down.

Bruce spoke, pitching his voice low. “It’s the lure scent. One of them must be wearing it. She can’t figure out whether to believe her eyes or her nose.”

Harley gasped, clutching her daughter close for a deep sniff. “Oh God, Lucy, you _ didn’t_,” she whimpered. The little girl hitched a sob, burying her face in Harley’s neck.

Their fear was obvious, and Talia reacted by moving toward the pair. Jay knew her well enough to know that was a protective gesture; Harley didn’t. She tried to get up to flee, but she’d been too badly beaten to do it easily and stumbled.

Vines slithered behind him, and Jay growled, “Knock it _ off_, Ivy, I’ve got her.” He stepped between Talia and Harley, ignoring her snarl and the shiv pointed at his heart.

"We have the sedative," Tim started to say, but Jay shook his head. He knew his Alpha - trying to knock her out would just make her defensive, and more dangerous.

He yanked off his glove and held out his hand, wrist up. The first two letters of Talia’s name were visible there, tattooed permanently on his skin. “Enough,” Jay said, locking eyes with Talia as no one else dared to do. “I’m _ right here_, T. Get it together.”

Her eyes burned with madness, but he’d seen them like that before. Coming out of the Lazarus Pit, Talia had been a raging storm of fear and fury. She’d even clawed at _ him_, trying to escape something only she could see. It had taken an hour for her to settle then, and a day to stop spooking at every little noise. The only time her hands had stopped shaking had been when she wrapped them around the hilt of a sword. By comparison, this was a cakewalk.

She closed the distance, the shiv flicking upward to touch his throat, and Jay put his wrist right up in her face. Harley was hyperventilating behind him, and he really didn’t want to know what she thought was gonna happen. Cass had slowly eeled her way up to Bruce’s side, and from the corner of his eye Jay saw her tensing to spring. “Black Bat, I told you before, ** _don’t_ ** _ get between me and my Alpha_.”

Talia looked him squarely in the eyes, and growled threateningly. The point of the shiv rested against his Adam’s-apple; there was armor in his collar, but not enough if she decided to press that point home to his spine.

Jay still wasn’t afraid. If Talia wanted to kill him, she could’ve tried it at any time. She was holding back, threatening but not doing any harm. So he bumped his wrist against her jaw. “It’s _ Jay_. We’re safe, Talia, there’s nothing here for you to fight. Stand down, ya amar.”

He could sense Bruce stiffening, and didn’t care. Pet names weren’t usually a thing between them, outside the bedroom, but Talia was fond of that one. Jay had picked it up from a poem, where the author compared his lover to the moon, a light through the darkness. Talia had been that for him, bringing light and hope to the darkest hours of his life. 

Talia’s eyes narrowed, and she made as if to nip his hand … but froze, her teeth on his wrist. Jay held steady, figuring she was finally getting a good whiff of his scent through the roof of her mouth.

Jay saw the recognition dawn on her, and those wild green eyes widened in shock. The next thing he knew, the shiv clattered to the floor as Talia dropped it, taking his hand instead. She leaned her cheek into his palm, closing her eyes, and a rumbling purr started up in her throat.

The collective sigh of relief from everyone made her glance up suspiciously, but Jay put his arm around her shoulders and tugged her close. “Just relax, T. I’ve got you. We’re gonna be okay.” She leaned into him gratefully, still purring, and he kicked the shiv aside.

Jay looked over his shoulder to see Selina helping Harley up, Lucy peering worriedly at all of them. “It’s all right, baby,” Harley soothed. “You’re gonna have to go home early, and I’m sorry for that. It’s nothing you did. Aunt Pam and I made a big mess here, and we gotta fix it.”

“So we’re going to go quietly?” Ivy asked softly.

“You’d better,” Selina warned.

“Look at her, Pam,” Harley said, jerking her chin at Talia. “Strongest Alpha I ever saw, Lucy’s covered in heat-scent, and she didn’t hurt her.”

“She saved me from the monsters,” Lucy said in a tiny voice.

“Yeah, that’s kind of a hobby for us,” Jay said, eyeing them. He wouldn’t hurt Harley in front of her kid, but there was no forgiveness in him yet. He still had to get Talia back to the Manor and get her started on Doc Leslie’s treatment protocol. Which was going to be a pain in the ass - she wouldn’t tolerate any kind of restraint, and if they tried to sedate her, she’d only fight harder. 

“All right,” Pam said, giving in at last.

Suddenly, Selina gasped. “Oh my God, Lucy, are you cut somewhere?” Her glove, where she’d taken Lucy’s hand to reassure her, was sticky with blood. All of them looked to the little girl with alarm.

“Nuh-uh,” Lucy said, making a face at the red stain on her own hands.

For a moment, Jay thought it was Harley. But her split lip and barked knuckles weren’t responsible for _ that _ much blood.

And then he realized that the metallic edge to Talia’s scent wasn’t just rut. Jay touched her side, where Lucy had punched her, and Talia flinched away with a complaining whine. His own glove came away bloody, and the pit of his stomach went cold.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do love cliffhangers. The final arc and denouement of this fic are shaping up nicely, it'll probably be over 90, but less than 100 chapters. I'm hoping to keep it under 130k, too, but heck - at one point I thought this beast would stay under 50k. Ha!
> 
> I'm still not getting emails from the site, but I'm going to check my inbox here when I have time.


	80. Chapter 80

Khairah’s first sight of the Batcave made her worries momentarily fall silent in awe. Batgirl parked her bike and shut it off, waiting for her to move, and after a moment Khairah remembered herself and hopped off the bike. She took off the borrowed helmet and handed it back absently, still checking out their surroundings. “That’s … pretty impressive,” she said, looking out over the vast cavern. She could see parking areas for other vehicles, a massive computer, a trophy room with what looked like a Tyrannosaurus rex standing tall among the cases, and other lighted areas amid the blackness of the cave. Overhead, bats chirped and squeaked at one another.

“Honestly, even after a couple years, it’s still impressive to me, too,” Batgirl admitted, taking her own helmet off. She touched the side of her domino mask, and asked, “Hey, Oracle, what level clearance are we giving our guest?”

Khairah cocked her head, and could faintly hear a digitized voice, but the speakers were meant for Batgirl’s ears and she couldn’t make out the words. She did see a little surprise in the blonde’s expression, followed immediately by acceptance. “Makes sense. Thanks, O.”

She turned to Khairah then, and took off the domino, revealing eyes as blue as the midsummer sky. She was not merely pretty; those eyes elevated her straight to  _ beautiful _ . “Well, sounds like since Jay and Talia know who we are, you’re getting the all-access pass. I’m Stephanie Brown. Pleased to meet you.”

The blonde held her hand out, and Khairah shook with her, stifling a rush of nervousness. “Khairah Mansour,” she replied, giving the surname her mother had chosen for herself. She might be entitled to the name al Ghul, but the Demon’s legacy was something she was cautious about claiming.

Stephanie tipped her head slightly, listening to the voice in her communicator, and then smiled in relief. “And Oracle just told me they found your sire. They should be headed back soon. C’mon, let’s go up to the house and I’ll introduce you to the most important person in the family. Possibly in all of Gotham City.”

“And who would this illustrious personage be?” Khairah asked, curious despite herself. She had the feeling that information was being withheld somewhere; finding Talia couldn’t be as easy as this Stephanie made it sound. 

Grinning mischievously, Stephanie told her, “Alfred Pennyworth. Batman’s butler.”

…

Jay knew that if he panicked, Talia would turn aggressive again, and if she was bleeding this badly, he  _ really _ didn’t want to get her stirred up. He wasn’t the only one who noticed the injury, either. Bruce stood up with concern in his eyes, saying, “That’s where she got the shiv. One of them stabbed her.” Talia grumbled at him, but she didn’t leave Jay’s side. She was leaning on him a little, and he wondered how much blood she’d already lost. Even in her right mind, she was inclined to mask her symptoms from everyone but him; feral as she was now, she couldn’t let herself show weakness in front of the others.

“Black Mask,” Jay said grimly. “She had to get  _ close _ to take him down with that little screwdriver.” It was too reminiscent of the way she’d taken out her father, putting her life on the line to get that last fatal blow. And the entire time they’d been trying to settle her down, she’d been bleeding like this.

Talia didn’t want to let him examine the wound, shying back when he tried to touch her side. “Babe, I have to see it to know how bad it is,” he said soothingly. She just looked at him reproachfully.

“I’ve got one of our field dressings,” Dick said. Those wound dressings were military-grade, capable of stopping even severe bleeding long enough to get to a medic, and Jay was grateful to hear it. But Talia’s gaze shifted to Dick when he moved to offer it, and she growled, her hand dropping to Jay’s gun.

“No you don’t,” Jay said, catching her hand. She stiffened at even that slight restraint, but he didn’t let go. “Cool it, you made up with Wing, remember? No one here is going to hurt you, T, I promise. I’d kill ‘em if they tried.” That last was for Harley and Ivy, just in case. 

“Everyone out,” Bruce said, his voice level and reassuring. He was careful not to look directly at Talia. “Hood, there are too many other Alphas in here, even if they’re locked in. You’ll have to move her before you examine the injury.”

“Good point,” Jay replied.

Harley and Ivy remained cooperative, Harley engaging the magnetic locks on the remaining cells, and Ivy keeping the four escaped Alphas bound in vines. Lucy let herself be carried by Selina, who stuck close to Harley’s side. Bruce and the team kept a close watch over all of them.

Jay was still carrying his helmet in one hand, with his free arm supporting Talia. “She seems mostly all right,” Dick offered, following them at a slight distance as Jay headed out into the main hall and picked another door at random. Talia would be easier to deal with if he could close the rest of them out. As it stood, she would not turn her back on any of them, warily following Jay into what turned out to be Ivy’s lab.

Jay scoffed a little at Dick’s hopeful assessment. “Yeah, she’ll stay upright and pretend to be okay until she loses consciousness. First rule of growing up al Ghul: never show weakness. Hand me that dressing, Dick, I don’t think she’ll let me look at it with you here.”

Dick had to come close to hand it off, and Talia’s growl wasn’t quite as vicious-sounding as it had been earlier, but her eyes were narrowed and fixed on him. “Does she really think I’d hurt her?” he asked, and to Jay’s surprise he actually seemed saddened by the thought.

“It’s not you. It’s  _ anyone _ who’s not me. Maybe back in the day, she would’ve let Bruce get near her, but with him being Alpha, I’m not sure. She doesn’t trust easily, Dick.”

“I can see that. I never realized … but this isn’t the time,” Dick said thoughtfully. With one last look into Talia’s burning gaze, he stepped out, closing the door.

The moment he was gone, Talia let out a sigh and buried her nose in Jay’s neck, her arms around his waist. The sheer  _ relief _ of holding her - injured, maddened, but  _ alive _ \- damn near undid him, too. “Yeah, I missed you, too, babe,” he murmured.

He needed to check the wound, though, and drew back. Talia whined and grumbled and flinched, but he managed to coax her to sit up on a table. Then he took a deep breath for courage, and pulled back the fabric of her blouse from where it was stuck to her side, knowing whatever he saw wasn’t going to be pretty.

The shiv was relatively short, and it had been roughly made. Jay hadn’t paid much attention to it, even when Talia had been pointing it at him, but he’d noticed its blade was only about four inches long, made of some kind of metal scrap Sionis had found or broken off from inside his cell, and sharpened by rubbing it against something like brick or concrete. Jay had learned to make shivs and other improvised weapons as part of his training; he could be utterly deadly even with a spoon, if given time to sharpen it and wrap some fabric around the handle for a better grip.

Talia must have forced Black Mask’s arm aside, and risen up on her toes to drive the screwdriver into his skull. That made a damn good weapon, too, all of the force of the swing concentrated at the narrow tip, giving it enough power to punch through bone, where a shiv couldn’t. Even in her feral state, she’d been able to aim it precisely at the point where it would intersect Sionis’ brain stem and kill him quickly.

Sionis had evidently been holding the shiv in his left hand, because he’d stabbed into her right side, high up by her ribs. The wound itself wasn’t that impressive, just a puncture the same narrow width as the shiv blade. It was leaking blood steadily, and Jay scowled at that. It wasn’t spurting, so at least there wasn’t an artery severed, but the flow was more substantial than he wanted to see. He pulled out his nasal filters and sniffed; that was another good sign, there was no smell of ruptured bowel. Lastly, Jay touched her side, a few inches away from the stab wound, and Talia flinched again.

Penetrating injury to the upper right abdominal quadrant, with tenderness and significant bleeding, all pointed to one likely diagnosis: liver laceration. Survivable, in most cases, but dangerous. Controlling the bleeding was the important part right now; the problem was that most of the bleeding was coming from her liver, too deep for the wound dressing to do any good.

Jay applied it anyway, expecting Talia to growl at the pressure he was putting on her injury. Instead she gave a pitiful whine, and when he looked up at her face, her tawny skin seemed paler. “Don’t you dare go into shock on me,” Jay said, touching her cheek.

Talia lifted her hand to cover his, leaning into his touch, and her fingers were cold. 


	81. Chapter 81

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the delay - only one chapter this week. We're having some real-life challenges.

Talia al Ghul was an Alpha born and bred for war. Her battle against Black Mask had been short, but very intense. She easily avoided his wild swings of the shiv at first, and when it became clear that she would have to close with him to end it, she did so decisively. She’d tried to better her odds with a powerful blow to his right arm, which would have shattered his elbow if she’d had a staff or some other blunt object with which to strike.

Instead he’d shifted his weapon to his left hand, even as she drew the screwdriver in her pocket and darted in. One precise strike killed her foe, leaving him quivering on the floor like a bolt-shot steer.

She hadn’t even felt the shiv in her side until she stepped back from the corpse, looking for the girl who smelled like Jay. Only then did the stabbing pain make itself known. A moment later she heard a commotion in the hall, and retreated to the cell from which she’d broken out. Much as she loathed confinement, it was the only space here that she _ knew _ well enough to defend. The corridor was too large, and there were still angry Alphas behind several doors, though they were quieter now after the noise of battle had ended.

The girl was in that cell, too, looking up at her with huge eyes. Talia stood over her, sniffing, trying to make sense of the puzzle. She smelled _ exactly _ like Jay in heat, but the girl was plainly _ not _ Jay, and Talia didn’t have her usual presence of mind to remember the existence of the Omega lure. She decided after a long moment - during which Lucy cowered, shivering, at her feet - to protect the girl as she would any Omega, or any child. She tried to purr soothingly, and patted the girl’s hair, saddened by the way she flinched from even that light touch. Talia withdrew to wait for whatever might come next. She had no weapons … except the shiv jammed in her side, and she withdrew it with a stifled wince of pain.

Careful footsteps in the corridor, and Talia held her silence. A voice called out, and Talia recognized it as someone who had tried to harm her. She snarled warningly, stepping into the doorway, but the girl called out and tried to get past her. Talia pulled her back, gripping the shiv tightly. Most of the people in the corridor, she recognized, but their scents were all jumbled together and her instinct to protect the girl trusted none of them. No one else could do what _ she _ could, no one else had been here to save the girl from Black Mask. 

And one of them was an Alpha powerful enough to challenge her. Talia directed her growl at him when he spoke, but some memory held her back from making an attack. Then the little girl hit her in the side, right over the injury, and the pain was momentarily stunning enough that Talia lost her grip. Her heart raced, seeing the child run to the woman she trusted least, but even in the depths of feral rage Talia knew a mother’s protective devotion when she saw it. The girl who smelled like Jay was safe.

That left the rest of them, and she knew the Alpha intimately, but the question of dominance had never been quite settled between them. She felt threatened by him, and growled, bluffing to hide her injury. To Talia’s immense shock, the Alpha man slowly yielded to her.

If he surrendered, with Betas and Omegas relying on him, then it became _ her _ duty to protect all of them. Talia knew her wound was a weakness, and fretted at her own inability to fight in peak form - it felt too much like incompetence. She also did not like the two strangers mixed in among the Alpha’s people, even if one of them was an Omega and mother of the child. Standing over the Alpha, Talia tried to sort out the scents and decide who among these people was hers to protect.

One of them stepped forward, and she swung toward him, raising the shiv. _ That _ looked like her Jay, when he removed the red helmet she saw the face that was graven on her heart, but she couldn’t isolate his scent and would not let him approach. Meanwhile the girl and her mother _ did _ smell like him. Talia looked back and forth between them, trying to decide which sense to trust. 

The Alpha spoke, and the woman holding her child gasped. The pair of them cringed in blatant terror, so Talia moved to put herself between them and the Alpha who had frightened them.

The man who looked like Jay interposed himself between them, and Talia snarled a warning, the shiv at the ready. He showed no fear of her, baring the scent gland at his wrist and looking directly into her eyes as he spoke sternly. She _ knew _ those eyes, and the fearless, brilliant mind behind them. But his scent was hard to discern. Talia moved forward, bringing the shiv up defensively, and he didn’t flinch even when the point rested at his throat. 

He spoke again, threat in the tone, and she growled at him, still unsure if this was her Jay or some near-perfect impostor. Any sane man would have fled from her. He only bumped his wrist against her jaw, and tried to reason with her, which certainly seemed like Jay’s stubborn bravery. More, he called her by a name she’d last heard in much more pleasant circumstances.

Annoyed by her own confusion and his presumption, Talia snapped at him for it, but the instant her teeth closed on his skin, she finally got a good whiff of his scent. Faint, decidedly not in heat, but _ Jay_. Her Jay, right in front of her, patiently waiting for her to come to her senses. 

Jay, the only person Talia trusted to protect _ her_.

Talia dropped the shiv - the careless habit of dropping weapons had been beaten out of her before she was ten - and grabbed his hand with a grateful purr. He embraced her, and she let herself lean on him. The other Alpha could care for his people and the strangers; somehow she knew that he was the sort to make everything and everyone his own responsibility. Talia only needed and wanted Jay.

The rest was something of a blur, as Jay led her away. One of the Omegas followed, despite Talia’s half-hearted warnings, and Jay finally sent him off. Talia didn’t want even her own Omega to see how badly she was hurt, but he insisted, and she could deny him nothing.

Of course, then he got nervous, his hands and voice and gaze all betraying his worry. Talia tried to put up a brave front for him, but with no audience to bolster her facade, she couldn’t quite hide her weakness. It grated on her, to know she was injured and bleeding and less than capable of defending them both. 

All her life, the first rule had been, _ Never show weakness_. Her father tolerated no such display of infirmity; he would comfort her only when they were alone together. If others were near, she had to remain stoic no matter how badly she might be injured. No one could be allowed to suspect that the Demon and his Daughter were mere mortals, as easily killed as anyone else. Later, Talia had learned that showing too much kindness could lead to others taking advantage of her compassion, and that offering her heart did not mean her beloved would return the gesture as completely. Her own secret shame and pain, she kept hidden, not expecting understanding from her father or her lover, afraid in some nameless way that they would blame her as she blamed herself. If only she had been stronger, fought harder, resisted temptation… 

Talia closed herself off, presenting an image of strength, and only Jay had shattered that mask to find the scars beneath. And when he saw how broken she really was, _ he had loved her anyway_. With Jay, she had learned that letting him see her weak meant that he would guard her, and never hurt her while she was vulnerable. Even when they argued, he was careful of her - and when he slipped and struck out at her sensitivities, he apologized for it. He was truly a remarkable man.

But the habits of a lifetime were not undone in a decade, and Talia still did not want to look pitiful in front of him. She tried to seem composed, but when he touched her wounded side, she couldn’t help a sound of pain.

He was _ truly _ worried then, and Talia had no means of reassuring him. “Stay here,” Jay told her, squeezing her hands for emphasis. She understood that much, and would have even if he hadn’t spoken, but that did not mean she would obey.

When he turned away and moved to the door, she sat still only for a moment, then slid off the counter and followed him noiselessly.

No matter what, she would _ not _ be parted from her Jay again.


	82. Chapter 82

Khairah was thoroughly bemused, following Stephanie to a concealed elevator that let them out in a narrow space behind a bookshelf that swung open. She stepped into the library thus revealed, and immediately came face to face with an older Beta man whose appearance could have set the definition of ‘distinguished’.

“Miss Khairah, I presume?” he said, in crisply British tones, and when she nodded, he sketched her a bow. “Very pleased to make your acquaintance, ma’am. Alfred Pennyworth, at your service.”

Khairah inclined her head respectfully. “Likewise, sir. I’m told you are the most important person in Gotham.”

“I very much doubt that,” Alfred chuckled, his eyes twinkling. 

“But we’d all be lost without you, Alfred,” Stephanie chimed in with a sunny smile.

“That I cannot deny,” the butler replied.

Khairah quickly realized that this Pennyworth was more family than staff - the Demon’s servants were far more reticent, and though their service was much appreciated, they were not treated as warmly as this. Stephanie looked at him with an expression more suited to a beloved grandfather or favorite uncle.

Then again, if he were trusted with the real identities of several caped heroes, he _ had _ to be much closer than a mere butler. So she pitched her voice respectfully. “Mr. Pennyworth, have you heard any news of my sire?”

“Regretfully, I have not,” he told her. “However, I expect an update once the situation is resolved. In the meantime, do come to the kitchen. I was just putting in a batch of Master Jason’s favorite cookies. If you ladies would like to taste-test them, I would appreciate it.”

Khairah cocked an eyebrow at that. Talia and Jay had both been quite wary of these people, at least at first. Even though that had been at least partly resolved, and Jay had told her she was safe with them, she hadn’t expected such friendly overtures. 

Then again, she also remembered Jay saying he’d missed Alfred, and her sire agreeing. Talia did not often express fondness for people other than Jay, and Khairah herself. If she liked this man enough to miss him, he must have the most exemplary character and integrity.

She’d already decided, in those few seconds of deliberation, to accept. And then Stephanie touched her arm lightly. “Come on, Alfred’s cookies are the _ best_. You’ll love them.”

Khairah startled slightly; ever since she’d presented as Alpha, most of the Omegas in al-Hirz scrupulously avoided intruding on her personal space. There were some who invited her into their own, but that was prompted by hormones. None of them touched her casually. She found herself smiling a little, liking Stephanie’s open-hearted boldness. Batgirl certainly wasn’t like anyone else Khairah had ever known.

“Thank you,” she said to Alfred, and the three of them made their way to a spacious kitchen that smelled deliciously of baking. 

…

Jay went to the door with a cold fist of anxiety clenched around his heart. He stepped into the corridor, seeing Ivy sullenly handcuffed and Harley looking miserable in her own set of cuffs. _ Good, _ Jay thought bitterly, and dismissed the pair of them. He had more important concerns.

“I need the car,” he said, looking at Bruce. Everyone turned to him, startled, and he continued in grim tones, “Pretty sure Black Mask nicked her liver, and she’s getting a little shocky. She needs to go to Gotham General.”

“Oh no,” Dick said, brow furrowing. “I’ll go with you. You’ll have to stay with her, as long as she’s conscious, and I’ve got a better reputation in town than you do. The ER staff will be more likely to listen to me. We can take my car.”

He’d been intending to take the Batmobile, but Dick’s car was nearly as fast. And Jay hadn’t been looking forward to trying to drive with feral Talia beside him. He nodded in relief. “Thanks, Wing.”

“She won’t want another Alpha around,” Bruce said, frowning. “The rest of us will finish up here. Catwoman, you’ll take care of Lucy?”

“Of course,” Selina said. Harley looked at her with pitiful yearning, but the little girl was subdued, probably freaked right out.

Bruce nodded. “I’ll call in to the trauma center so they’ll be expecting you. Hood … take good care of her.”

“Always, Batman,” Jay said. He met that cowled gaze, and although it should’ve been an awkward moment, all he saw in Bruce’s expression was the certainty that Jay was competent to handle the situation, no matter how savage Talia might be.

Then he turned back to the room, expecting to lead Talia out with her subtly leaning on his arm. Instead, he found her standing right behind him, and her eyes were apologetic. “Babe?” he started to say, wondering why she looked so woeful.

Talia tried to take a step toward him, and faltered. Her expression turned horrified, and Jay was just in time to catch her as she fell.

She clung to him, trying to stand on her own. Dick started to move to assist, and she snarled to keep him back.

“Enough,” Jay scolded, and picked her up bridal-style. A fireman’s carry would put too much pressure on her injury. Talia rumbled ferociously, but didn’t struggle. The fact that she was letting him carry her spooked Jay worse than seeing the bleeding wound in her side.

Dick hurried out to the vehicles, Jay following at the fastest pace he could maintain while keeping his stride smooth. He didn’t want to jostle Talia if he could help it.

She resisted at the car, snarling and struggling to get free. Watching, Dick said worriedly, “Jay, maybe we need the gas. She’s gonna hurt herself…”

“She’s gonna calm the fuck down and get in the goddamn car, if she knows what’s good for her,” Jay growled, setting Talia down. He took hold of her face and made her look at him. “Listen to me, Talia. You’re hurt. We’re taking you to the hospital. I _ will _ drug you if I have to. But so help me, if you ever trusted me in your life, trust me now. And _ get in the freaking car_. Please.”

Her curled lip softened, and Talia gazed steadily into his eyes. Everyone said the feral Alphas could understand, even if they didn’t respond in words, but Jay wondered if they were hearing the words or just the tone. He tried to strike the right note of firmness with her, the way Talia herself spoke to a recalcitrant horse. That stallion of hers had been in a trailer that was rear-ended by another vehicle, and he’d come away uninjured, but terrified of trailers. Talia had left one parked in his paddock for a week, feeding him near it and finally putting his grain _ inside _ it, but no amount of bribery would get him to put so much as a single hoof inside.

Talia had gone out with a long cotton lead rope, and a light longe whip. She didn’t hurt him; using force on a high-spirited, courageous animal like her stallion would only end in bloodshed. She ran the rope from his halter into the trailer, out one of the windows, then back to her hand. Talia didn’t pull him, either, she just used the rope to keep his nose pointed where she wanted him to go.

And then she’d tapped the whip on the ground behind him until he took a step forward. She stopped tapping for a moment, letting him rest, then resumed. As they got closer to the trailer, she had to actually tap his fetlocks, just enough to irritate him into taking another step forward. Each step earned him a brief respite. It had taken an hour, but she got the stallion in the trailer without force or fear or anyone - human or equine - getting hurt. It was that same fair, firm patience Jay was trying to convey now. 

Talia had told him then that one of the great truisms of working with horses was, ‘If you have all day, it will take an hour. If you only have an hour, it will take all day’. The same thing applied here, though he didn’t have even an hour to spare. Jay tried not to let it show. Talia was as sensitive to pressure as her highly-trained horse; if Jay tried to rush her, she’d only fight back, hurting herself worse. Manhandling her would just make her more defensive, and if he tried to use the sedative spray, she’d take that as a betrayal and lash out at him. Even now, injured as she was, Jay doubted he had the skill or the strength to overpower her if she was fighting with desperation’s raw power.

So he penned her in the cage of his arms, without actually touching her, and let the open door of the car be her only escape. Jay talked softly and steadily, leaning into her space and making it clear that she couldn’t go anywhere else. Talia sulked and snarled and tried to duck under his arms, but he blocked her every time, coaxing her back toward the car.

At last, with a rumbling growl of discontent, Talia stepped in and sat down. Jay leaned in, nudging her further over, and buckled her seat belt as he sat beside her. Dick hopped in front, closing his door in the same no-nonsense, matter-of-fact way Jay had handled Talia.

She proved that she wasn’t dull, just feral, when she slid over and reached for the door lock. “Hey now, none of that,” Jay said cajolingly.

Dick pressed a button, and the door stayed locked even when Talia hit the unlock button. She looked around at Jay with a betrayed expression, then turned toward the front of the car and growled.

“I won’t hurt you,” Dick said, glancing down. “I’m trying to_ help _ you, Talia. Please let me do that.”

Her growl faded, and she curled against Jay’s side with a grumpy little noise. He put his arm around her and held her close. “Better step on it, Dick. If she’s being this cooperative, she’s really started to feel terrible.”

“If this is cooperative, I’d had to see her actually being argumentative,” Dick said, but he did drive fast. Jay didn’t argue; Talia was looking noticeably pale, and she began to shiver despite the balmy temperature.


	83. Chapter 83

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been remiss the last two weeks and only posted once per week. This is because I'm currently on an alternating schedule at my job. So for two weeks I'm on, doing the same amount of work with half the people - and as a former supervisor, I'm the one in charge. It's INCREDIBLY stressful. Then I'm off for two weeks and can breathe and write and think.
> 
> I'm nearing the end of the story, though, and will not stop posting at least weekly until we get to the last of the denouement. Thank you all for your comments and kudos.

Khairah had to admit that the cookies were _ very _ good. She’d even been coaxed into some small talk by Batgirl, who insisted on being called Steph. Calling her by name was easier once she’d ducked out - leaving Khairah in Alfred’s gracious care - to change into street clothes. Now they were sitting at the breakfast nook with cookies and tall glasses of cold milk.

Steph had been surprisingly forthcoming about why she decided to become a costumed hero, and Khairah privately thought she was very brave, to fight against her own father. Of course, Steph turned the questions her way as well, asking where she’d traveled.

“Not much, before coming here. I’ve been staying with my sire and Jay in her estates outside Cairo,” Khairah explained, as the blonde listened raptly. 

“God, that sounds amazing. I’ve been to central Africa, briefly, but never the north. I always wanted to see Egypt, and the pyramids and the Valley of the Kings.” Steph’s voice went a little hushed, her eyes misty.

“We haven’t had time for much sight-seeing,” Khairah admitted. “It’s beautiful, though. If you turn away from the cars and the smog for a moment, and just look at the river, it’s like time stands still. The same kinds of boats you see in tomb paintings thousands of years old, the same trees, the same flowers. I love it.”

“You need to get them to take you to all the tourist stuff,” Steph said, and her bright playful grin resurfaced. “That way you can take pictures and send them to me.”

“I don’t tell them what to do,” Khairah demurred. “And it’s a little overwhelming. There are so many tourists from so many places. I speak four languages, and they’re teaching me a fifth, but even the Arabic in Egypt sounds weird to me.”

“Weird how? I know Arabic has dialects, but I thought it’d be mutually understandable,” Steph said. She was sitting half-turned in her seat, her full attention on Khairah, and it was rather heady. 

“Well, yes, but in Cairo, everyone sounds like they’re on television.” Steph’s fine golden brows rose a little, so Khairah explained, “A lot of TV shows are produced in Egypt, especially the soap operas. So to a Levantine, we associate that accent with melodramatic acting.”

Steph snickered. “Yeah, I can see how that would mess with your mind. I’m a little jealous, honestly. I mean, you speak four languages, and I’m over here with English, high school French that I’ve mostly forgotten, and just enough pidgin Swahili to not embarrass myself when I was in Rwanda.”

Khairah blinked; she hadn’t expected this very Western young woman to know any languages from equatorial Africa. “I’d like to learn Swahili. My sire wanted me to learn Cantonese first. I speak French, though, if you want to practice.”

Steph gave a nervous laugh. “I haven’t actually _ spoken _ French outside the classroom, like, ever. I probably have the worst accent you ever heard.”

“So do I,” Khairah said earnestly. “Talia teases Jay about sounding like Gotham City in fifteen languages, but any actual French person could tell in a heartbeat I’m from Syria.”

Steph shrugged easily. “So what? You still speak more languages than they do. And doesn’t Syria have some of the oldest archaeological sites in the history of mankind? Even my French teacher says the French are kinda arrogant. Don’t take it personally.”

She was just so purely _ nice _ about it that Khairah murmured, “Tu es tellement gentille.” Perhaps talking about speaking French led her to put it in that tongue, or simply the fact that she remembered a recent Omega arrival speaking in enthused tones about how kind everyone in al-Hirz had been to him.

Steph sat up a little straighter, with a slightly embarrassed smile. “Yeah, I flunked that pop quiz, sorry. I’m not taking it this semester - I’ll have forgotten everything by next year.”

Emboldened, Khairah grinned, and said, “C’est vraiment? Tu es la plus belle fille que j’ai jamais vue.” If she’d forgotten the word that meant kind and considerate, she likely wouldn’t comprehend that statement. It still felt good to say that she was the most beautiful girl Khairah had ever seen. 

And then Steph blushed a delicate pink. “So … the one thing I _ do _ remember is ‘la belle fille’. Mostly ‘cause I really wanted someone to say it to me…”

It was Khairah’s turn to sit bolt upright, and though a blush wasn’t as obvious on her complexion, her cheeks felt hot. She had _ no _ idea what to say, but knew that just letting that outrageous piece of flirtation hang in the air wasn’t wise, either.

Alfred saved them both by arriving with another plate of cookies, and a pitcher of milk to top up their glasses. “Ladies,” he said in formal tones.

Khairah welcomed the chance to focus on something other than her own foolish self. “Thank you, sir,” she said.

“Thanks, Alfred,” Steph echoed warmly.

Pulling herself together, Khairah asked, “Have you heard from my sire?”

“Not yet, Miss Khairah. As I said, I do not expect a report until everything is settled. I promise you, I shall pass on any information the moment I have it. In the meantime, I assure you: Talia is in the best possible hands.” The elderly Beta spoke with such confidence that Khairah couldn’t help feeling reassured.

“I haven’t heard from Babs yet, either,” Steph said thoughtfully, just as glad of a distraction as Khairah was. 

“Is that good or bad?” Khairah asked her.

Steph shrugged. “Not sure. She could just be busy - and we’re not the only team she runs intel for. Or it could be taking longer than they expected; there’s those other Alphas to worry about, too. But they know where you are - if it was something major, they’d let us know.”

“I can’t help thinking something’s gone wrong,” Khairah admitted.

Steph laid a hand over hers, and met her gaze with earnest concern. Those gorgeous blue eyes couldn’t possibly lie. “Look, even if they ran into trouble, they’re the _ best_. I don’t think there’s anyone or anything in this city that could take the whole gang of them. It’s gonna be okay.”

Khairah smiled for her sake, but the faint sense of disquiet lingered. She would be much happier once she knew Talia and Jay were safe.


	84. Chapter 84

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Be forewarned: there are memories of major character death in this chapter.

Babs had patched into the same communications network used by EMTs, and Gotham General Hospital had given them the go-ahead to pull right into the ambulance bay. The ride had only taken a handful of minutes, but Talia already seemed more lethargic. When Dick popped the locks, she didn’t even try to make a break for it.

She let Jay pick her up again and carry her toward the doors as Dick drove off to park. The hospital staff had seen several feral Alphas before, so they were ready. A Beta nurse nodded to Jay, and silently led the way to a room. Even in the busy trauma center, no one got in their way.

Talia drowsed through it all, but when Jay went to set her on the hospital gurney, she came alert again. And immediately bristled at the two orderlies who silently blocked the door. Her growl was deep and threatening, as if such things as shock and internal bleeding didn’t exist. “You’d better sedate her _ quick_,” Jay warned. 

A doctor had also followed them in, and with Jay holding Talia and trying to keep her _ somewhat _ calm, he and the nurse managed to get an IV in and give Talia a dose of tranquilizers. It gave Jay the _ creeps _ to hear her snarl fade, and watch her eyelids grow heavy.

“Let’s get the restraints on, then we’ll examine her,” the doctor said.

“Hell no,” Jay cut in. “I’ll hold her if I have to, but if she feels any kind of cuffs or shackles, she’s going to fight until you knock her completely out. And in the time that takes, she could hurt herself or kill someone. The other feral Alphas were damn dangerous, and they were regular people. This is not your average K-Mart shopper, Doc. She’s absolutely lethal.”

“Which is why I want her restrained,” the doctor said testily.

“Knock her all the way out, then,” Jay countered. Talia’s eyelids were fluttering as she fought the sedative. He struggled to keep his voice even, so she wouldn’t feel like she needed to protect him. “I’m telling you, she’ll go berserk if you cuff her.”

“We can’t risk a higher dose until we get her vitals,” the doctor said with a scowl.

“So I’ll hold her,” Jay said, and they worked around him.

The nurse slipped around to Jay’s other side, and fitted a blood pressure cuff around Talia’s bicep. The young man worked quickly and quietly, and Talia didn’t even bother to growl at him. The doctor stepped in, with clear misgivings, and lifted the bottom of Talia’s blouse where the wound dressing showed.

Jay held her hands, hunched awkwardly over the gurney, and he could feel her tensing up. “Relax, T, he’s gotta see it to fix it,” he murmured.

The doctor peeled back the dressing and frowned even more deeply. “How long was the blade that did this?” he asked.

“About four inches, tops,” Jay said. “I don’t know if it penetrated all the way. She pulled it out before I got there.”

“We need imaging,” the doctor said. “What’s her BP?”

The nurse read out, “Eighty-five over fifty,” a number that made Jay’s heart clench. Rut usually _ raised _ blood pressure; if Talia’s was that far below normal, she was bleeding worse than he thought.

The doctor didn’t like it either, adjusting the fluids going to her IV and calling out orders. Jay had to step away so they could work, but he still held onto Talia’s hand, and her eyes were fixed on his. 

The doctor looked at the data, and scowled. “Hypotension, tachycardia, tachypnea, and blood loss from a penetrating injury to the upper right quadrant. Probable laceration to the right hepatic lobe with internal bleeding and hypovolemia. She’s stable and conscious for now, but let’s get a CT scan _ stat_.” The nurse nodded, and fitted an oxygen mask over Talia’s face. She tried to evade it, growling, and the doctor pulled up a syringe of medication. “Sir, we need to move her as soon as she’s out,” he said to Jay, and gave the dose.

Jay had been at Talia’s side through some seriously unnerving experiences, but nothing twisted his gut like watching her eyes go glassy and her face slacken. He _ knew _ it was only the sedatives … but he’d seen it happen before.

Talia had run her father through, following up to cut his head off, and despite her own severe bleeding she’d stayed on her feet to make sure he was committed to the pyre as she ordered. Only once the flames began to char his corpse did she walk away, and by the time they reached the Lazarus Pit, Jay had to carry her. She lost consciousness on the stairs, her eyes gone dim, and Jay had never understood the phrase _ dead weight _ completely until right then. She’d grown heavier in his arms as he descended, the Pit’s bright green light casting unwholesome shadows over her face.

She’d been _ dead_, not merely unconscious, when Jay approached that unholy pool. He knew how much she feared and dreaded the place; the very scent of the Lazarus Pit, jasmine and decay, gave Talia nightmares. None of her own resurrections had been willing, and while she’d made it clear that she wanted to survive this battle to take leadership of the League of Assassins, Jay couldn’t help remembering her sleep-blurred voice telling him after a nightmare how she no longer feared death. How she ached for its peace. Nights like that, she’d apologize again and again for bringing him back, no matter how many times he told her he was _ grateful _ to her for it.

They both had shards of Lazarus-fueled rage buried in their psyches. They both _ dealt _ with it. People with PTSD got up every day and faced their own battles; Jay didn’t see this as much different. At least he had a second chance at a life where he could really make a difference. The fact that his life included a beautiful, brilliant, incredibly compassionate lover was an unlooked-for gift.

Jay hadn’t faltered then. He’d placed Talia’s body on the hoist, and lowered her into the noxious roil of the Lazarus Pit. She’d come up a moment later, healed and whole and _ screaming _ in incoherent terror. When she could finally form words, she’d clung to him sobbing, asking in broken Arabic, “Why? Why would you do this to me?”

His answer - “You asked me to” - had startled her enough that she really looked at him, and quieted. It’d still been a day before she began to calm down, and weeks before the paranoid edge wore down to something closer to their normal caution. Talia’s temper had been on a hair trigger for months, too, and Jay had had to intervene before she killed several of their men for no reason other than they’d annoyed her.

He shook off those memories. Talia wasn’t dead, she was only hurt and sedated, and the hospital was the safest place for her. He needed to focus. As he stepped back, two nurses - he hadn’t even noticed the second one arrive - grabbed the gurney and wheeled Talia away. Jay caught the doctor’s sleeve before he could join them. “I _ have _ to be with her when she wakes up,” he insisted. “I’m her Omega. If I’m not there to keep her calm, she’ll hurt someone. No amount of drugs or restraints will keep her down.”

“I’ll second that,” Dick said, and Jay had never been more grateful for the calm authority in his voice. He’d come in from parking the car at just the right time. “For everyone’s safety, he needs to be with her in the recovery room.”

“Of course,” the doctor said, and Jay let him go.

Then he just stood there, staring at the swinging doors that had just swallowed up the love of his life, only peripherally aware of the busy ER around him. Other hearts were breaking, other lives were beginning and ending, but to Jay it was just a sea of random noise.

Dick put a gentle hand on his shoulder. “Come on, let’s get out of the way,” he said softly. 

Jay sighed, raking a hand through his hair. He didn’t even know where his helmet was, if he’d left it in Ivy’s lab or the back of Dick’s car. Dick winced when he did that, and Jay looked down to see Talia’s blood on his hands. It was already drying in the creases of his palms. He’d probably just swiped a gruesome red stain through the white streak of hair at his forehead. “Ah, shit,” Jay sighed, and let Dick lead him out.

“She’s gonna be okay,” Dick reassured him.

“And there’s a Lazarus Pit in the bottom of the Batcave if she isn’t,” Jay muttered, and saw the horrified look on Dick’s face. He managed a bitter laugh. “Don’t worry, I won’t use it unless we have to. But … she’s only known Khairah for a couple months. I can’t deny her that future.”

“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that,” Dick replied.

Jay sighed. “Yeah. And speaking of Khairah, I’d better call her. She’s gonna freak out, but she’ll be more upset if no one tells her anything.” He smiled wanly. “She’s like her sire that way.”


	85. Chapter 85

Khairah hadn’t heard the phone ring, but Alfred disappeared for a moment, and returned bearing a cordless phone on a silver tray. “It’s Master Jason, for you, Miss Khairah,” he said, and the gentleness in his tone set her worries boiling.

She snatched up the phone hurriedly, asking, “What’s wrong?” before Jay could even start to speak.

“Listen, it’s not your fault,” Jay told her, and her stomach plummeted. It _ was _ her fault, she’d been the fool who opened the door to that Harley Quinn in the first place, she should’ve _ known _ to back away and leave the door chained no matter how much the woman knocked. If she hadn’t gotten annoyed enough to approach, thinking to tell housekeeping to leave, she wouldn’t have gotten a whiff of that incredible scent, and she wouldn’t have been lured into following her kidnapper mindlessly. Talia wouldn’t have needed to come rescue her, and wouldn’t have had to trade herself for Khairah’s safety.

Steph, sitting beside her, must have seen the guilt and grief cross her expression, because the blonde Omega took her hand comfortingly. But Khairah was not going to break down; she had a sterner legacy to live up to. “_Tell me_,” she insisted, her voice heavy with command. She hadn’t intended to use that; it rose in response to her need.

Jay sucked in a breath, and his tone was scolding when he replied, “_Don’t _ pull that on me, kiddo. This is how it went down. They gave her their cure right away, and it turned her feral. Then she got into a fight with Black Mask, he stabbed her, and she killed him. We showed up, and even feral, she listened to me enough to back down and let us help her. Right now, Talia’s in the hospital being treated. It’s serious, but she’s in the best place. She’s gonna be fine; she and I have both lived through a lot worse. I just wanted you to know where we are and what’s going on.”

Suddenly this bright, airy room seemed to have no oxygen. Talia had been _ stabbed_. Because of _ her_. Khairah struggled to master herself enough to speak. “She … you said _ stabbed_?”

“It was just a small shiv. She’ll be all right, Khairah. We got her to the hospital in time. She’s in surgery now, I’m waiting to hear something just like you are. But it’s going to be okay. And it’s _ not _ your fault.”

He was trying to reassure her, his own voice ragged with worry, and Khairah fought for composure. She had only just gotten to know her sire, and she’d already proven unworthy. Her foolishness was the reason Talia - the _ Demon _ \- was in surgery now. Nothing Jay said could change her guilt.

“What hospital?” Khairah heard herself say faintly.

“Gotham General. Stay there, Khairah. There’s nothing you can do here, and as feral as she is, she might not recognize you. I’ll call back and let you know as soon as I hear something,” Jay told her, his voice soft with compassion.

Khairah heard it as pity. It stung, to think that Talia might not even recognize her. She had not been a part of Talia’s life long enough. Jay was right, there was nothing she could do, and Khairah was helpless in her misery. “All right,” she whispered, heartbroken. Only the awareness of Alfred and Steph - both relative strangers - watching her kept her from weeping.

“It’s gonna be okay, kiddo,” Jay murmured again, and Khairah answered his reassurances in monosyllables until he ended the call. She handed the phone back to the silent, pitying butler, who sketched her a bow before carrying it away.

That left Steph, and Khairah was _ not _ going to cry in front of her. She _ wasn’t_. Khairah’s Alpha instinct to conceal weakness was only amplified by the very human desire not to embarrass herself in front of someone she already liked. Leaning her elbows on the table, she pressed her hands to her face and tried to hold back the fear and the grief. Her heart seemed to have climbed into her throat, constricting her air. She tried to swallow it back down, but doing so was painful. All Khairah wanted to do, just then, was bawl like a child - and she would _ not _ let herself behave so shamefully.

Steph touched her shoulder gently. “She’s gonna be okay,” she said, as if soothing a frightened child.

Sorrow and worry twisted in Khairah’s gut. All of this was too much, stress piled atop stress, and she was out of composure and patience. She was only fifteen years old, halfway across the world from her home, in the company of strangers and weighted with the knowledge that she’d put her sire in danger. With Steph’s words, all of her tension exploded into fury. 

Khairah jumped to her feet, brushing the blonde’s pitying hand aside, and snarled, “What do _ you _ know of it? Some villain idiotically named Black Mask just stabbed my sire, and it’s all my fault! _ Leave me alone!_” The last was almost a roar worthy of her sire, the words heavy with Alpha command.

The young Omega blanched, but gritted her teeth and stood up, _ closer _ to Khairah rather than giving her the space she demanded. “I know what it’s like to worry about your parents, wondering if they’re gonna make it,” she ground out. “I know how it feels to think you’re the reason they’re in trouble. Maybe better than you do, even. So I’m _ not _ gonna leave you alone to stew in it and make yourself more miserable.”

Khairah blinked in surprise, and Steph raised her chin defiantly. “And the _ next _ time you try to give me an order, I’m gonna give you one hell of a distraction by decking your arrogant ass. Got it, Alpha?”

She could only stare. Khairah knew, better than most Alphas, how strong-willed Omegas could be, but she hadn’t expected this. Steph had seemed entirely kind and compassionate up until now; yet this bristling anger was clearly at home in her skin, too. And then the sense of the words got through to her. Despite being offended by Khairah’s peremptory command - given in haste and anger at herself - Steph was _ still _ trying to help her.

Khairah’s heart skipped a beat at that. Beauty, compassion, tenacity, and that quicksilver flash of temper that would not be commanded? Oh, she was _ too _ perfect. And yet, the uneasy mix of guilt and shame and Alpha dominance would not let Khairah simply apologize and ask forgiveness. 

She tilted her head sideways, and asked, “You think you can?”

To her surprise, Stephanie laughed - not mockingly, but as if they shared a joke. “I don’t care if you _ are _ assassin-trained, I can give you a run for your money. I’m _ Batgirl_. No one handed me that title, I damn well _ earned _ it. I’ll meet you in the training room to settle that any day - except today. Your sire’s hurt, you’re freaked out, and I’m not gonna paste you just because you’re snappish. I’d be freaked out, too.”

That finally let Khairah relax her defensiveness. “I’m sorry. None of this is your fault. I shouldn’t have shouted at you. And I didn’t mean to use command-voice; I’m not accustomed to it yet.”

“You’re okay, Khairah. I know you’re on edge. Hell, I’m worried too. I only just met Talia, and I already like her a lot.” Steph blew out a breath, and let her shoulders sag. “Also, I kinda have issues with Black Mask. I didn’t want to get called away from the fight - that’s not your fault either - but I’m glad I didn’t have to face him. He’s bad news.”

“No match for the Demon,” Khairah said. “She killed him.”

Steph’s expression was complicated, as she wrestled with competing emotions. Finally, she gave a crooked smile. “Batman has a very specific rule about not killing people, so I feel bad for saying this, but … I’m glad he’s gone. Black Mask almost killed me. I still have nightmares, sometimes.”

Khairah’s temper flared again, and she wished for one moment that she could’ve dealt with this Black Mask herself. The next instant, she realized how foolish that was. If he’d managed to stab Talia, he would’ve killed Khairah all too easily.

Still, she met Steph’s gaze with her own full of Alpha protectiveness. “I’m glad, too. We believe in stopping people like him. _ Permanently. _ If he hurt you, he deserved it.”

“He’s no saint, that’s for sure, but don’t let Batman hear you say that,” Steph replied, and at least they had cleared the air between them.

Now she was only left with the interminable waiting, to hear how Talia’s surgery fared. Khairah would’ve preferred captivity to this torment.


	86. Chapter 86

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bruce's POV scene here was supposed to be about 200 words, and then we'd cut to Jay. The muse had other ideas.

The scene at Ivy’s lab was contained and cleanup was underway. The police, and a special team from Arkham, had collected the remaining Alphas, along with Harley and Ivy. The wild overgrowth of vegetation had gone quiet when Ivy left, and now the cops were just processing the remaining crime scene, photographing and tagging evidence. Batman sent Robin and Black Bat homeward, and Selina took Lucy back to her mother. He stayed a few extra moments watching over the process, and conveniently removing a few things he didn’t want them to find. Such as Jay’s helmet. And Talia’s weapons.

His mind was far away. Oracle had updated him that Talia was in surgery at Gotham General. Dick and Jay had gotten her there with no real conflict, and that told him just how dire the situation was. She had never taken downtime well, and if injured, would rather brazen through than take care of herself. Bruce had scolded her about it; she’d scolded him far more often, for the exact same thing.

He drove back to the Batcave, memories floating through his mind. The first time he’d met Talia, the beautiful young Alpha woman had captivated him instantly. Such courage and confidence, and such tender compassion she tried and failed to hide. The fact that she was his equal in combat - if not better - only drew him to her more. Bruce was not the kind of man to be intimidated by superior strength.

How he’d loved her … and how he’d lost her. Talia could not break free from her father, and even after putting Ra’s al Ghul to death, she could not free herself from his legacy. The League of Assassins was different, the last seven years, but they were still _ assassins_. _ She _ was still an assassin. There was a core of iron in Bruce’s soul, supporting everything else he was and did, and that central pillar was that he _ would _ ** _not_ ** _ kill_. He would not become that shadowy figure from his nightmares, he would not be the cause of a child staring in horror at his parents’ bodies, their eyes empty and their faces slack. No matter what else happened, Bruce would _ not _ cross that line.

If he did … the core of his being was strong, but not flexible. He would break before he bent. 

He put his musings aside when he arrived at the Cave. Robin and Black Bat had already gone upstairs, their bikes parked neatly beside Batgirl’s. Batman passed by them, moving toward the vault where he stored the most dangerous of his arsenal. That would be the safest place to store Talia’s weaponry until she could reclaim it.

The vault held objects that sparked both awe and trepidation. In a lead-lined safe well-hidden in the wall, Bruce kept a chunk of kryptonite in case of the direst emergencies. Against the rear wall stood a set of armor made to withstand even metahuman strength, with augmented powers of its own. On the shelves were a variety of weapons and devices Batman hoped he never needed to use.

At eye height along the side were two hand-carved wooden stands, polished to a high gloss, and the space around them was clear. Bruce carefully laid out Talia’s idea of everyday carry weapons: a revolver, four throwing knives, a garrote, and a switchblade, plus one more larger knife. The stand on the right was empty, and Bruce carefully placed Talia’s main knife upon it. The stand on the left held an almost identical one. Both of them were beautiful, with trailing drop points and engraving on the bolsters. The handles were made of ebony wood, inlaid with silver.

Ra’s al Ghul had given them the matching blades. When he presented Bruce and Talia with the gifts, he’d been making the point that he saw the pair of them as a matched set. That he had chosen a gift made for combat - _ lethal _ combat - was not an accident. Bruce also knew that the steel comprising the blades had been quenched in the Lazarus Pit at its forging. The knives were an illustration of the plan Ra’s had made for both their futures, to accept his legacy and rule together. His empire, his vision, his eternal quest, to be shared between them.

Musing on the past, Bruce picked up his knife. It still fit his grip perfectly, and when he let go of the hilt, it still balanced perfectly atop his finger just behind the quillion. He replaced it, his gaze drawn to Talia’s blade, seeing the differences between them. The two weapons were a matched set, but not perfect copies. Even when they were brand new, Bruce’s knife had a slightly longer hilt, to accommodate his larger hand, and a slightly longer and heftier blade to weight it evenly. Bruce’s was still in mint condition, the steel polished to a mirror shine, as pristine as it had been when Ra’s presented it to him. For good reason, since he had never used it. Talia’s was obviously well maintained, but it had seen use, where his never had. He traced the spine of the blade with a fingertip, noticing a nick near the thumb rise. The surface of the steel was still smooth, but it had been sharpened enough times that it had lost the mirror finish. The handle, too, was a trifle more dull than Bruce’s; his had only been handled lightly, polished once in a while, while Talia’s was regularly held in a fighting grip. The elegant wood had likely known both sweat and blood, and it had been regularly polished to restore its finish.

Interesting, that she still carried hers. Bruce would have thought that Talia would set the blade aside as a painful reminder of the love they’d once shared. Perhaps she saw it primarily as a gift from her father; she _ had _ taken up his legacy, even down to the cape and sword. It might be that she could more easily forget the companion blade than Bruce himself could.

Or perhaps she had forgotten nothing, and the knife was simply too useful to put aside. He kept his in this vault, after all, and had never destroyed it despite turning his back on Ra’s al Ghul and all of his grandiose plans for Bruce’s future. The Lazarus quenching imbued it with power; such a blade could wound even super-powered beings who were normally immune to harm. Bruce had no need to carry a combat knife on a daily basis, but it was too easy to imagine a fight where he would need the extra edge. He’d kept the knife locked away, despite the pang in his heart every time he looked at it.

Bruce wondered if Jay knew that Talia’s knife had a mate in his vault. It was not lost on him that Jay carried a knife of special importance, likely gifted to him by Talia herself, but it was nothing like this design. Strange that she hadn’t made a matching set for the pair of them … or no, perhaps she saw the two of them as a set by _ choice_. Not made for one another, as Ra’s had thought she and Bruce were. No symbols, no rings, no keepsakes, no coordinating uniforms, no attempt to give the _ appearance _ of matching. Just the fact that they chose one another, each day. He’d heard about the tattoos, of course, and even those did not quite match - they were separate declarations of belonging, each made without consulting the other.

That would be like Talia, to give Jay a knife that marked his freedom from any demand she might make, and like him to remain at her side nonetheless. To his own surprise, Bruce smiled at the thought.

Why shouldn’t he? He had learned how to love without possession. Selina was fiercely independent; she would not move in with him permanently, much less accept a ring from him. She loved him anyway, and he knew better than to doubt it. He loved her just as she was. Talia would always be special to him, but Selina knew that and accepted it the same way he accepted her feline foibles. It was no hardship to be glad for Talia and Jay both. If they had found love in such an unexpected way, and were devoted to each other despite all the forces arrayed against them, then he could only be grateful that two people he cared about had someone to stand beside them against whatever storms the world cared to send their way.

Leaving both knives in each other’s company, Bruce headed upstairs to see how his children were faring.


	87. Chapter 87

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are going to be more than 90 chapters here. Maybe more than 100. I'm not sure if we'll hit 110, but I plan to finish the story this week (keep your fingers crossed) so you'll see the chapter total update then. Also, finding the PDFs for surgical procedures is fun.

Jay couldn’t stand the crowded waiting room with its air of palpable misery. He washed the blood off his hands and out of his hair in the public bathroom, then went outside to make a couple calls. He picked a spot clear of the doors so he wouldn’t be in anyone’s way, and so no one would overhear him. Dick was listening for the medical staff to call him back again, once Talia was out of surgery, but this couldn’t wait.

Khairah, first, and that had  _ not _ gone well. Jay thought with a trace of grim humor that Talia had to pull through just so she could personally tell the girl it wasn’t her fault.

And then, back to the League. He dialed the main number, and was lucky enough to get the same man. Mehmet had proven his loyalty several times over; if anyone could be trusted, he could. Once they verified each other’s identities, Jay asked him, “Did the Demon leave orders in case she was incapacitated?”

His answer was another question. “Has she been injured or compromised?”

Jay sighed. “I’d really like to get my question answered before I tell you, but if you’re asking like that, there’s  _ something _ in place. The truth is,  _ both _ .”

“Explain the extent of incapacitation,” Mehmet replied, his voice flat.

He wasn’t going to tell the  _ whole _ truth. There was no one in the entire League of Assassins whom Talia would trust to know she was currently knocked out, having surgery. It’d be far too easy for an ambitious underling to try and take her out, and then Jay would have to murder someone in the middle of Gotham, and then they probably wouldn’t get invited over for Christmas. 

At the same time, if she’d left them expecting to hear from her, silence would eventually bring a response. And Jay didn’t want to end up fighting their people in Bruce’s city. That was just gonna be ugly on both sides. 

“She took a knife to the side that’ll hamper her fighting efficiency for a few weeks,” Jay said, speaking as if Talia had already begun recovering from surgery. “You know her, you know that’s not enough to keep her down, and I’ve got her back in case someone tries something stupid. She’s also been subjected to an ill-advised attempt to cure her of being Alpha, which left her in a state like rut to the tenth power. We know how to cure that, but it will take a day or two.”

Mehmet was silent for a long moment. “How do you intend to proceed?”

Jay frowned at the phone. “What do you mean,  _ proceed _ ? I’m just trying to keep you guys from bursting into Gotham if she doesn’t call in by a certain time. Right now Batman owes us one, and I’d rather not get on his bad side again so soon.”

“And if the Demon does not recover?” Mehmet asked.

“Not an option,” Jay said flatly.

“This call is encrypted,” Mehmet told him. “What will you do if she does not regain her senses, or recover from her injury?”

His voice held a note of demand, and Jay made his own even firmer in reply. “Well, I’m not going to quit until we can get her over what the cure did to her. I’ve seen it reversed recently, I know that it’s possible. I won’t give up until she’s herself again. As for the other … you know who she is. You know what’s possible.”

Most of the Demon’s retainers were under the impression that the Lazarus Pit would only work for someone of the Demon’s bloodline, to keep them from getting ideas about using it themselves. Talia had not needed the Pit since killing her father.

“So that is your intent? If the Demon falls, you would resurrect her?” Mehmet asked carefully.

Jay hesitated. “Unless she has something in writing about not wanting to be brought back. If she does, I’ll respect her wishes.”

“And then what?” Mehmet asked, pressing him further.

Letting out an explosive sigh, Jay said, “I don’t fucking know, honestly. She’s got assets she wants protected - I’d have to make sure that’s set up, then figure out who’s the best choice to run the League, help that person take over the succession, and then … I dunno, head back to Gotham. I just got back on speaking terms with my family. Why the hell are you asking? This is a long shot. She’s not  _ that _ badly injured.”

“The Demon has named a successor,” Mehmet informed him.

“Oh, good, then I’d just help them take over. Why didn’t you say so from the beginning?” Jay asked.

“Because  _ you _ are the one she named as her successor,” Mehmet replied.

Jay swore, quietly and vehemently in several languages, ending with, “I’m gonna kick her ass for that when she’s healed up. She knows  _ damn _ well I don’t want to run the fucking League of Assassins!”

“If I may be so bold as to venture a guess, I believe that was  _ why _ she selected you,” Mehment replied. “In any case, while she is incapacitated,  _ you _ are in command.”

That was enough to freak Jay out a little. He didn’t  _ do _ this shit, there were so many layers of protocol and intricacies of command that he just would rather not fuck around with. “Hell, I guess the first thing is, does she have any orders in effect right now?”

“Dozens,” Mehmet told him dryly. “Pertaining to your current situation, she does have the Los Angeles team on standby.”

“Stand them down, we’ve got the situation here under control,” Jay said hurriedly. The group in L.A. was a fast-response stealth combat team, and he did  _ not _ want them anywhere near Gotham. Bruce would have conniptions. “Anything else that’s gonna get serious in the next day or so?”

“We are gathering information about Tiger of Kandahar’s current and recent activities, and detailing the Golden Crescent trade connections,” Mehmet replied. “The only active missions just now are long-term. We have teams on watch in Syria to protect the city of al-Hirz if need be. I can forward you the details to a secure email.”

“Tell you what, hold that until tomorrow. If she’s not markedly improved by then, I’ll take a look at it. But I’d rather not get into the management stuff until I have to,” Jay told him. Honestly, he was too worried about Talia right now to care much about the fate of the world and the League’s operations. He could put that off for a day, as long as no one was headed here.

“Of course, sir,” Mehmet said, and Jay flinched from the man’s respectful tone. 

He just sighed again. “Thanks. Listen, I gotta tell you, no matter  _ what _ happens: you are never gonna see my ass in the freakin’ cape, okay? That’s strictly  _ her  _ schtick.”

Mehmet sounded like he was trying not to laugh; Talia did insist on a somber professionalism among her people. “Understood, sir. I’ll anticipate an update from you tomorrow.”

Jay hung up with yet another heavy sigh, looking skyward. He was  _ not _ prepared for this. Talia naming him her successor - well, it made a kind of sense. She knew he would never try to take the League from her. And if something drastic happened, he could keep it all together long enough for her to recover. But she should’ve told him.

Except, if she had, he would’ve insisted that she name someone else. They had lieutenants who were pretty good, and reasonably trustworthy. Of course, the moment Jay thought of any of them holding so much power, he winced. The Demon’s empire was too much for any one person, really. Talia held it, barely, and she’d been born and raised for this. He didn’t  _ want _ to work on that scale. Jay’s style was much more immediate - ‘see injustice, fix it’. Global stuff, he didn’t want to mess with.

He checked his phone again, and saw that only fifteen minutes had elapsed since he stepped outside. Far too short a time for Talia to be out of surgery. But he couldn’t help feeling like he needed to be in there, despite the gloom hanging over the entire waiting room. They might need to ask him a question or something.

Reluctantly, he headed back in, and even managed a small smile when the first thing he saw was Nightwing signing a little girl’s brand-new cast. “I broke my arm lots of times, falling off things,” he was telling her. “You’ll have to be a little smarter than me, and make sure you don’t climb anything that high again anytime soon.”

Starstruck, the girl nodded, and Jay just shook his head at the sight. Of course Dick would take a moment to make a child’s scary hospital visit into a story she could tell for years. “Always making time for your adoring public, Wing.”

The girl’s parents glanced up when he spoke, and they both tensed at the sight of him. He couldn’t blame them. Red Hood didn’t exactly have the same reputation in town as Nightwing. Jay stepped aside, nodding to them with the mildest facial expression he could summon.

“Nah, I just really like signing casts. Remember that time I signed your leg while you were asleep?” Dick said lightly, and that was very deft of him, humanizing the big scary Red Hood.

“I remember you drew me falling off the roof,” Jay said, and the family moved past him a lot more relaxed. “Any news?”

“Not yet. Did you get through to everyone you needed to reach?” Dick asked.

Jay scoffed. “Yeah, and then some. She has to make it through this, Wing. Someone we know is seriously blaming herself right now - and when I spoke to someone else, I found out T left  _ me _ in charge in case of something like this.”

The stress of it all was almost worth seeing Dick’s comical double-take when he heard  _ that _ .


	88. Chapter 88

Bruce stepped out of the library to see that Alfred had already brought the first aid kit, and Stephanie was fussing over both Tim and Cass in her typical fashion. Neither of them were seriously injured, but the scuffle with the maddened Alphas had been intense enough to leave a few minor wounds. “Cass, I swear, your knuckles are gonna be nothing but scar tissue if you don’t take better care of yourself,” Steph fretted, looking at her hands. Cass let her clean and bandage the scrapes with an indulgent air.

Meanwhile Alfred was disinfecting a scratch on Tim’s cheek, where one of the vines had lashed at him. Steph glanced over at him, too, frowning. “C’mon, Tim,  _try_ to dodge, okay? I like your handsome face all in one piece.” He just shrugged, careful not to move as Alfred cleaned the minor injury.

Bruce looked past them all, and caught his breath. Standing in the doorway – and looking rather put out for some reason – was a girl who looked the very image of Talia as he’d first known her. He blinked, and realized she was younger than Talia had been, her features still holding a trace of youthful softness. She had most of her sire’s height, though, the same lean graceful build and the same elegant profile.

The same fiery temper, too, he suspected, based on the way her brows were drawing down. “Khairah?” he said.

Her attention snapped to him, dark eyes quickly assessing. Oh yes, this was Talia’s daughter, with all of her wariness already. He’d changed out of the Bat-suit, and still she guessed correctly. “Batman, I assume?”

Bruce nodded. “Also Bruce Wayne. You’re welcome to call me Bruce. I assume you’ve met the rest?”

Steph winced, turning toward the girl. “Oh, crap, I’m sorry. This is Black Bat, also known as Cass Cain, and this is Robin, also known as Tim Drake. Guys, this is Khairah Mansour, Talia’s daughter. Sorry, Khairah, I got so caught up in worrying about these two reckless brawlers, I forgot to introduce them.”

“Some of our charges do require more looking-after than others,” Alfred said gracefully.

Tim frowned at him then. “Hey, I’m nowhere  _near_ as much trouble as Dick and Jay. Or a certain blonde Robin I can think of.”

“Shut it, Tim, I wasn’t _that_ reckless,” Steph said, her voice playful.

Bruce watched how Khairah took all of that. She carried herself like an Alpha already, with all the confidence he expected from Talia’s bloodline – and a hint of the nervy insecurity young Alphas were prone to. He could almost see the calculations in her mind, trying to sort out exactly what the relationships were among the other three teenagers, and she already cast a possessive eye on Steph. She wouldn’t get far with that one, Bruce thought; he taught Steph very well how to resist the urge to follow an Alpha’s lead just because they were Alpha.

Some of that training had even been intentional, instead of the natural byproduct of strong wills and conflicting philosophies.

“Pleased to meet you,” Khairah said, nodding to him as well as Tim and Cass, and both of them looked at her with the frank appraisal of both adolescence and martial arts training. She squared up subtly under their regard, lifting her chin just a little.

No wonder Jay was so worried for her. She was so much like Talia, it hurt to see.

“The same,” Bruce answered her. “I expect that Catwoman will be along shortly. Nightwing and Red Hood are at the hospital. I haven’t heard any updates on Talia’s condition, but we expect to know something as soon as she’s out of surgery.”

Khairah nodded, her jaw tight as she held back strong emotion. He was familiar with the feeling, both from watching Talia do the same, and seeing it in the mirror. Bruce could guess why she felt the need. He took a careful step forward, and met her gaze with no hesitation in his own. Alpha to Alpha, and while his instincts recognized her as a foreign Alpha on his turf, he also knew her for an adolescent. No threat, and a possible ally. So he spoke gently, despite the weight of his designation in the words. “This really wasn’t your fault, Khairah.”

Most young Alphas would yield to him; even suppressed, Bruce was a powerful example of his kind. Khairah only lifted her head, looking him squarely in the eye, pride and pain stiffening her spine. So very much like her sire, indeed.

He told her calmly, “If anyone is at fault, it’s Talia herself. She and Jason chose to get involved in the situation here. They chose to bring you along, and to leave you alone rather than bring you to this house where you would have been safe - even if your arrival would have caused some awkward questions. She further chose to leave Jason and Dick, steal Dick’s car, and go searching for you herself. The reason Poison Ivy was able to trap her was largely because she had no backup nearby. She let her fear and her anger rule her, and she’s paying the price now.”

Khairah took in a sharp breath, her eyes glassy, but it was Stephanie who spoke up. “Wow, Bruce, that’s harsh.”

“It’s true,” he replied, keeping his tone as mild as ever.

“Yeah, but what was she _supposed_ to do? Her daughter was in trouble and she blamed herself. Is there an Alpha alive who wouldn’t want to fix that themselves?” Steph strode forward, her blue eyes sharp on his. He’d taught her very well indeed.

Bruce was proud of her, but he didn’t smile. She’d take that as patronizing. “Obviously she wanted to handle the situation herself. Taking responsibility is what Alphas  _do_ . But I have no wish to see Khairah make the same mistake as her sire. She doesn’t have to take all the blame on herself. Let it fall where it belongs, and let  _all_ of us help rectify the situation.” 

Steph blinked, and said shrewdly, “You don’t want her making the same mistakes you did, either.”

“Of course not,” was all he needed to say, and then he turned back to Khairah. “No matter what happens, this is not your burden to carry alone. Remember that. It’s a hard lesson to learn, but worthwhile.”

“Indeed. One wonders when the master of the house will finally learn it,” Alfred said archly, and that got all the children chuckling. Even Khairah managed a small smile.


	89. Chapter 89

What felt like days later, and was probably only an hour or so, a very confused-looking nurse stepped out from behind the double doors marked ‘Authorized Personnel Only’, and said, “Red Hood?” as if she thought this was a joke. When Jay shot up out of the hard plastic chair he’d been sitting in, she did a double-take. She recovered well, though, and said, “This way, sir.”

“How is she?” he asked, hurrying to the woman’s side, barely aware of Dick watching after him worriedly.

The nurse waited until they were on the other side of the doors to answer. “She’s lost a lot of blood from the laceration to her liver. We’ve got the bleeding under control, and she’s out of surgery; her prognosis is good as long as we can avoid complications. To that end, they’re keeping her heavily sedated. The trauma surgeon had to pack her abdomen to stop the bleeding, and those packs need to stay in until tomorrow at the very least. Possibly another day, depending on how she does tonight.”

“Jesus H. Christ,” Jay muttered, feeling a chill up his spine. It had been a helluva lot closer than he thought.

“I understand she’s in the same circumstances as the other feral Alphas we’ve seen, so sedation is the only way to keep her from moving while everything begins to heal,” the nurse told him. “They’re going to admit her to the ICU, but the doctor said you should stay with her.”

“I have to. If she starts to wake up – and she’ll throw off sedation faster than you would believe – I’m the only one that can keep her quiet,” Jay said. “I’ll stay out of the way in the ICU, but I’ve got to be with her.”

The nurse nodded. “I was also told that Batman is personally taking care of this – that her identity and yours should remain secret, and that there may be additional security concerns. We’ve dealt with that before, so that’s one less thing for you to worry about. We should be ready to move her shortly. Is there anything you need for an overnight stay?”

He needed … everything, really. Jay was acutely aware that he was armed for a fight, and didn’t have so much as a toothbrush on him. “I need a lot of things. Let me talk to Nightwing for a second, and I’ll be right back, okay?” She nodded, and he hurried out the doors.

Dick was standing right there waiting on him. “What’s the prognosis?”

“Guarded, still. She’s gonna be here overnight, at least, and so am I. I need … _fuck_.” Jay raked a hand through his hair again, trying to think. 

Dick took hold of his bicep, gentle and steadying. “You need an overnight bag with a change of clothes and toiletries. You’re also going to need something to read, some music, maybe some snacks, probably a pillow and a blanket. I’ve got you, Hood.”

Jay fought down the urge to hug him in the middle of the waiting room. “Right, right, you’re a freakin’ godsend, Wing. And – I need you to keep an eye on the kid, okay? She’s gonna flip out.”

“We’ll take care of her. Do you want me to bring her with me when I come back with your bag?” Dick asked.

Hesitating, Jay knew that Khairah would want to see her sire – but in what state? Knocked out, hooked up to tubes and monitors, Talia would  _hate_ for anyone to see her like that. Least of all her daughter. And Khairah was Alpha, the scent of her might disturb Talia. But keeping Khairah away would just make her more upset, imagining the worst. And Jay wanted to see the girl with his own eyes, too. 

“Yeah, bring her up here. Make sure she knows she can’t stay long, and that Talia’s heavily sedated because she’s feral. I don’t want her to freak out.” Jay raked his hand through his hair again, hoping he’d made the right choice.

“It’s going to be okay,” Dick said, clasping his shoulder. “All right, I’ll get on that. You stay with her. Text me the room number, okay?”

“Sure,” Jay said, and turned away with a sense of relief. For the last several years, he’d mostly relied on himself and Talia. The staff could be trusted to a certain extent, but not like this. He could rest easy knowing Dick would handle everything, that Dick didn’t have an ulterior motive. 

Hell, if Talia hadn’t gotten hurt, he could almost thank Harley and Ivy for turning Bruce feral, since it brought them both back to Gotham and got them on speaking terms with the family again. Since she  _had_ been hurt, and those psychos had  _kidnapped his kid_ , Jay was still having thoughts about 55-gallon drums of weedkiller.

The nurse was still waiting for him, and as they walked back to the recovery area, she said, “Now, I don’t know if you’ve ever seen a Wound-Vac before. There’s a large incision in her abdomen that is staying open so the surgeons can remove those packs we talked about. It’s sealed with a Wound-Vac that keeps it under negative pressure to reduce swelling and lower the risk of infection. So you’ll see a tube going to a clear plastic sheet over her abdomen, and then there’s dark gray foam in the wound to protect her organs from the vacuum.”

The thought made Jay fairly queasy, to be honest. He’d gutted people before, though it was a method he tried to avoid. Thinking about  _Talia_ with a huge incision right down her belly, something that required a freaking  _vacuum_ to hold it closed … he wanted to be sick. He also wanted to stick Harley’s head on a pike.

Seeing his expression, the nurse paused. “Listen, overall it’s not that serious. Some veins got severed, and she lost a lot of blood moving around right after the injury. The rest of her liver is in good shape. You should see the injuries we get from car crashes, they make this look like a walk in the park. We just manage liver lacerations very carefully, especially when the patient is hemodynamically unstable the way she was on presentation. She’s going to be just fine.”

“Okay,” Jay said, steeling himself. The Lazarus Pit was starting to sound like a _good_ option … at least Talia had a variety of teas and tinctures to speed healing, once they were out of the hospital. He didn’t want any mainstream medical people getting a hint of half of what the al Ghul physicians knew. Mostly because a lot of that stuff was derived from the Pit.

He was going to have to make  _so _ many calls, to get everything set up, but Jay shoved all of that worry aside. All he wanted right now was to  _see_ her. The nurse led him to the room and opened the door, briefly putting a comforting hand on Jay’s arm.

Typical hospital room, Jay figured, all bright sanitized surfaces, just a little too cold for comfort. Typical hospital bed, surrounded by monitors, with tubes and wires leading to the prone patient who lay entirely too still, swathed in thin blankets. Decidedly  _not_ typical Talia, who was dynamic even in stillness, who radiated power and vivacity, who brimmed with life and love and energy – but not now. Now, she looked like a broken image of herself.

“Talia,” Jay whispered, going to her side, and his hand hovered above her for a moment, looking for a place to touch without _something_ taped to her. At last he bent, and kissed her forehead, murmuring, “I’m here, babe. You’re gonna be okay.”

One of the monitors beeped, and Jay glanced up to see her heart rate increasing. He placed his hand – where the hell were his gloves, anyway? Had he left those behind somewhere too? – alongside her cheek, crooning softly to her in Arabic. Telling her she was safe, he was here, she would recover. Even heavily sedated, her nostrils flared, and the heart rate monitor slowed back down.

“It’s a good thing you’re here,” the nurse said quietly, offering him a small smile. “The transport team will be along shortly to move her. I’ll leave you with her, now.”

“Thanks,” Jay said rustily, and stroked Talia’s hair back from her forehead. It was tangled and damp with sweat, and he wished he could wash it for her; she _hated_ having messy hair. Maybe Dick would bring a comb, and he could at least smooth it out some for her.

He laughed weakly, realizing that was ridiculous. Talia would hate having a huge hole in her abdomen more, and hate being out of her mind with the feral drug even more than that. Her hair was just the thing he had the best chance of fixing right now.


	90. Chapter 90

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My apologies for the delay - I got busy Friday trying to prepare for Saturday, which was my 40th birthday. That's still an absolute mind-fuck for me, btw.

Dick had barely gotten his car parked in the Manor garage when Bruce rose up out of the shadows. “How is she?” he asked.

Biting back a yelp of surprise, Dick retorted, “I called in a report on the way here. You don’t have to accost me in the garage, Bruce.”

“Talia was only in Gotham because of me. I need to know the whole truth. How is she?” Bruce repeated, stubborn as ever.

Dick sighed. Alphas and their self-blame, it really got old after a while. “She’s unconscious, but she’s out of surgery. I didn’t see her. Jay is pretty freaked out, but he’d be climbing the walls if the prognosis wasn’t hopeful. Get Babs to hack the hospital data if you want details. I’ve got to pack him an overnight bag, and I’m taking Khairah to the hospital to see both of them.”

“Is that wise? The girl is Alpha,” Bruce said.

“Talia’s heavily sedated. Khairah will want to see her sire, and Jay wants to see his kid,” Dick said.

He expected an argument, but Bruce just nodded. “I trust your judgment.”

And just like always, hearing that yanked the rug right out from under Dick. He stopped, looking at the man who’d been his mentor, something of a father figure, and an ideal against which he judged himself. Bruce held himself to such an impossible standard, and he tended to hold everyone else to that same level, which made everyone expect that they’d never quite be good enough … except when he did stuff like this, and  _complimented_ you.

Dick let out a sigh. “You know, Talia mentioned that she wasn’t surprised to find me running the show in your absence.”

“I’m not surprised either. You’re a natural leader, and the most highly-trained person in this house, after myself,” Bruce said. 

“Someday, I’m gonna get a straight answer from you on why no one ever told _me_ that,” Dick said.

“Because you indicated very strongly that you wanted to be your own person, and make your own name, rather than walk in my shadow,” Bruce replied.

For a long moment, he could only stare. “If this is what you’re like off them, I’m gonna have to encourage you to quit suppressants.”

Bruce actually chuckled. “I talk too much, like this. Perhaps it’s not the worst that could happen. Dick … thank you. For everything.”

“Okay, now you’re just weirding me out,” Dick laughed, but he went on his way with a lighter heart.

He packed the bag, first, grabbing a couple books from the library, some basic toiletries from storage, and for clothes he picked items from his own closet that were a little too big on him. Jay was taller and broader – he might fit Bruce’s wardrobe better, but Talia wouldn’t react well to another Alpha’s scent on her Omega.

That was  _still_ weird to think about. Not just Jay and Talia, either, finding out  _Selina_ was Omega too had been a revelation. It seemed like he was discovering new things about everyone around him lately.

Next, Dick went in search of Khairah. He figured she would be impatient to leave once he told her she could go to the hospital, so he’d gotten everything else ready first. He found her with Tim, Cass, and Steph, the four teenagers clumped up at the dining room table with Babs overseeing them all. “Heroes have homework, too,” Steph was saying ruefully.

Dick walked in just in time to see Khairah’s smile at those words, and thought,  _Uh-oh._ Both Tim and Cass were enamored of Steph; she was a little too easy to love. Who couldn’t adore that smile, and the brave, kind heart behind it? She was more apprentice and kid sister to Dick, but he understood why the two in her age range had both fallen for her despite being fairly aloof themselves. Now it looked like she might’ve caught Khairah, too, and Dick could just imagine how  _that_ would go over.

Babs looked up from beside Cass, and caught his eye, giving a slight shrug. Oh well, teenage drama was something they could handle another day.

“Khairah?” he said, and she looked up. The resemblance was strong, especially in that first instant of suspicion with which she regarded him. Dick offered her a friendly smile – best not to get off on the wrong foot with the daughter the way he had with her sire – and said, “I’m headed up to the hospital. Jay wants you to come with; he can’t leave Talia, but he really wants to see you.”

She was young enough that he could see her putting on her mental armor as she gave him a serious nod. “All right. Thank you.”

Khairah stood up, and Steph caught her arm, looking up at her seriously. “She’s gonna be okay,” Steph said. Khairah tried to smile, but she was too tense for that, and just nodded. Tim and Cass watched her go somberly.

On the way to the car, Dick explained, “They have her heavily sedated to keep her from hurting herself trying to escape. She’s still feral, so you might not be able to stay in the room with her, if your scent sets her off. But Talia’s going to be okay. It might be a day or two more before we can get her moved here. It all depends.”

“I understand,” Khairah said, still so tense she was practically thrumming like a plucked guitar string.

This was one seriously stressed-out baby Alpha, for sure, and all of Dick’s protective Omega instincts wanted to sit her down and hug her until that facade of strength broke, and she let herself deal with her fear and guilt. But he figured that was way out of line for a total stranger, and also that she’d react about as well as Talia would. Which, Talia had been more forthcoming with him than he ever would’ve dreamed, but Dick had no illusions about how much she trusted him despite their recent reconciliation. If not for the guilt of Khairah being kidnapped, Talia would’ve preferred to cut a few digits off rather than admit weakness in front of him.

He drove back to the hospital and parked his car, checking his phone. Sure enough, Jay had texted him the room number. Before they went in, he looked at Khairah. “Try not to say her name, or his, in front of the nurses, okay? We’re trying to keep their identities secret. Or mine, for that matter.”

“I don’t know yours,” Khairah said.

Well, he was still in uniform, and he’d cut off his introduction in favor of telling her what she needed to know. Dick held his hand out and smiled. “Dick Grayson, former Robin, current Nightwing, at your service.”

Khairah paused, her hand above his. “You were rude to my sire when she called looking for Batman.”

He sighed, and gave a chagrined shrug. “We never got along, back in the day. That’s changing now. I know her better – and I learned the hard way that I was wrong about her and Jay. I’ve always been protective of him.”

She shook his hand gravely, and they both headed in the visitor’s entrance. A fully-costumed hero roaming around in broad daylight with a duffel bag got plenty of stares, and Dick was amused to see Khairah bracing up under the attention. She carried herself like a young queen, beyond caring who stared at her, and only he was close enough to see how fragile the act was. At the info desk, Dick gave a winning smile. “We’re here for room 411,” he said.

That confused the young man who looked up the room in the computer, but the older woman beside him leaned over. “That’s Bat-business, everything’s confidential. Just log them both in under no name.” A moment later, they had visitor’s passes and directions, and Dick was familiar enough with the hospital that he bypassed the visitor elevators for a different, less crowded set closer to their goal.

Khairah was still and focused, her jaw clenched, and he murmured to her, “Don’t hold your breath. You’ll pass out if you do that. It’s okay, I promise.”

She blinked at him, but there was no time to reply – the elevator doors dinged open on the fourth floor ICU.


	91. Chapter 91

Khairah managed to hold herself together by wrapping her will tight around one thing: she was the Demon’s child. Public breakdowns simply were not done.

Nightwing – Dick Grayson, she supposed she ought to think of him, but he was dressed as Nightwing and that preserved his identity – led her down the hall to a room that was fully glassed in. He waved to the nurses’ station and knocked at the door; she couldn’t see in, because a curtain had been drawn across the width of the front wall. Khairah saw a shadow move behind it, and then Jay stepped around the edge of the curtain.

At the sight of him, her eyes began to well up, and Khairah bit the inside of her cheek to keep herself from crying. Jay’s expression had been wary, but when he saw her, he looked so _ relieved _ that she felt guilty all over again for letting herself get kidnapped.

There was no time to dwell on that thought, though, because Jay pushed the glass door aside and stepped out, closing it behind him. Khairah started to say, “I’m sorry,” but he cut her off by sweeping her into a hug.

Jay was taller and broader than she was; Khairah felt enveloped, wrapped up in strength that would never threaten her, and the scent that, despite being suppressed, still meant _ family_. “Hush, kiddo, you don’t have anything to be sorry for,” he murmured to her, squeezing her tight. “I’m just so damn glad you’re _ okay_, Khairah.”

Wrapping her arms around him in return, Khairah let out a breath that she felt like she’d been holding since he first told her Talia had been stabbed. A shudder twisted through her, and she bit her cheek again, but it wasn’t enough and a miserable sob escaped her. “It’s all my fault, I’m sorry, if I hadn’t opened that door she never would’ve done this, if I hadn’t _ been here _ you wouldn’t have had to do any of this…” Batman had told her otherwise, but with the reality only a curtain away, monitors beeping and machines whirring, Khairah couldn’t believe it.

Jay caught her shoulders and held her away from him, looking into her eyes. He was still wearing the domino mask that he wore underneath his red helmet, but she could picture the worried expression in his pale blue eyes perfectly. “_No_. None of this is your fault, Khairah. I’m blaming Black Mask for stabbing her, and Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy for putting both of them in the situation to begin with. Not you. _ Never _ you. It’s not your fault, kiddo, don’t blame yourself.”

When _ he _ said it, somehow, the words began to take root, and Khairah sniffled a little. Nightwing just smiled at them both. “I never would’ve guessed you’d make such a good dad, Hood. Color me impressed.”

Jay just grinned, and hugged Khairah close again. “Excuse you, I’m her _ stepmom_, and hell yes I’m good at it. Who wouldn’t be with an adorable itty bitty kidlet like this?”

Khairah groaned and pushed at his arm, not hard enough to make him think she really wanted to be let go. The ridiculous pet names that had annoyed her at first had since become something she associated only with Jay’s particular brand of playful affection. “Don’t make me vomit,” she scolded.

Jay kissed her hair, a laugh rumbling in his chest. “You are adorable.”

“Yeah, the crew back home seems to think so,” Dick said, arching an eyebrow, but there wasn’t time to wonder what he meant by that now.

Jay sighed, and looked down at Khairah. “You wanna come in and see her? She’s not awake, and if she does start to wake up, you’ll have to leave. But I figure you’d want to see her.”

Khairah swallowed past a sudden lump in her throat, and reached for courage. Both of her parents were brave beyond measure, she should be able to do something this simple. “How … how bad is it?”

“It’s not gory or anything,” Jay replied. “She’s cleaned up and covered in as many blankets as they’d bring me. They’ve got a bunch of lines and monitors running to her, it’s hard to find someplace that doesn’t have a sensor or an IV or something. But she just looks asleep.”

Khairah blinked. “I’ve never seen her asleep.”

“Most people haven’t. She’s okay, Khairah. But you don’t have to if you don’t want to.” Jay was careful of her, as always; even when he was joking and teasing, he would only push her so far.

“I want to see my sire,” Khairah said firmly. She _ needed _ to see the Demon. So Jay just nodded, and opened the door.

“I’ll wait out here,” Nightwing said, and Jay gave a murmur of agreement.

Into the room, and behind the curtain. The hospital bed was raised up, and there were monitors all along one side of it. Talia lay like a statue of herself, less real somehow for being robbed of her usual vitality, and only her regular slow breaths belied that illusion. Khairah made herself walk forward steadily.

Talia’s hands rested limply atop the blankets. An IV ran into the back of her left hand, while a pulse oximeter was clipped to her right ring finger. Her knuckles were scraped up, and she had bruises on her arms and face as well. Her brows, so often arched or furrowed according to her mood, were smooth, and her eyes were closed.

Khairah reached out and touched the back of her right hand, somehow expecting her to wake up – and to come up snarling, feral and furious and ready to murder her for simply being Alpha. Nothing happened, though, and Khairah whispered, “I’m so sorry, Sire. Please, get better, if only so you can tell me how badly I handled that.”

Jay rumbled discontent at her continuing to blame herself, but she _ was _ the reason Talia had traded herself to those two vile women. Khairah leaned in carefully, and kissed Talia’s cheek as she had never yet dared to do in waking life.

The heart monitor beeped, and Khairah drew hastily back, sure she’d wakened her sire … but as her hand trailed away, Talia’s turned under it and caught her fingers. The grip was loose, softened by sleep, but Khairah could only stare.

“Yeah, she does that,” Jay said quietly. “She hasn’t wanted to let me go since we got up here. She’s asleep, but she still wants to hold on.”

Khairah squeezed her sire’s fingers gently, and Talia’s sleeping expression changed a little, her mouth curving in what might have been a smile. Even now, even wounded and drugged, Talia wanted her here – that tolled through Khairah and made her want to break down crying with relief. She wouldn’t let herself do that, though, and simply whispered, “Can I stay?”

“For a little while,” Jay told her gently. “Let me get the bag Nightwing brought, okay?”

Khairah nodded, sitting down in the square plastic chair beside the bed, still holding Talia’s hand. And watching her face, hoping for the merest suggestion of a smile. Talia did look so very much like her; or more correctly, Khairah resembled her sire. The line of her nose, the shape of her eyes, the arch of her brows, all of it Khairah had seen in the mirror.

The chief difference was that Khairah had her mother’s eyes, dark and deep. Talia’s were a light, piercing green, a color wholly her own. Khairah would have given anything, even her life, to see them open now with full awareness and rationality restored to them.


	92. Chapter 92

“The clothes won’t fit perfectly, but they’re clean,” Dick told Jay.

“It’s fine,” Jay said, peering into the bag, and he smiled at the thorough attention to detail that had gone into packing it. Everything he might need, and a couple things he hadn’t had time to think of. Looking up into Dick’s worried blue eyes, Jay gave him a smile of relief. “Thank you, Dick.”

“You’re welcome,” Dick replied.

Jay glanced back into the room. “Khairah wants to spend a little time with her sire. It can’t be long, but do you wanna come in for a few minutes?”

Dick shook his head. “Talia wouldn’t want me around, would she? And the nurses don’t like a bunch of people in the room, either. I’ll just head to the vending machines. You want anything?”

“No thanks, I’m good,” Jay said. Dick clasped his shoulder briefly and headed out, which left Jay to return to the room.

It was much too still, even with Khairah sitting beside the bed holding Talia’s hand. Jay went through the bag, and found a comb. “Let me get around you, kiddo.”

“Of course,” Khairah said, moving her chair so he could get to the head of the bed.

He stood beside her and set to work on Talia’s hair, getting the tangles out. What he really needed was a way to wash it, but that would be difficult in a hospital bed. Meanwhile, he asked Khairah, “So, you met my family. What did you think?”

“They seem nice,” she said, diplomatically. And then, “Mr. Pennyworth is not so much the butler as the center of the family, isn’t he?”

“Yeah, he’s basically my grandfather,” Jay replied, working cautiously. He didn’t want to tug Talia’s hair. Even if she was deeply asleep, he didn’t want to cause her pain.

“They’re all very … focused,” Khairah continued. “It’s easy to tell that all of them have martial arts training. But they were kind to me. Politely curious.”

“Oh, they’re curious as hell, they all wanna know who you are and how the extremely abbreviated story I gave them fits,” Jay chuckled. “You don’t owe ‘em your life story. The thing is, they’re all _ detective_-trained too, so assume anything you tell them will be filed away for future examination. They don’t mean to do it in a creepy way, it’s just how they’re taught to think.”

She just nodded, and silence descended on them. It was easy to tune out the machines and monitors, after a while. Jay had gotten Talia’s hair back to something like order when Khairah spoke again. “Are you really sure she’s going to be all right?”

“I’ll make certain of it,” Jay told her. And when Khairah looked dubious, he leaned down close to her ear. “You heard the rumors about her. She’s come back from the _ dead_, Khairah. This is minor. She’ll be recovered faster than you could believe.”

She shivered, understandably, and Jay patted her shoulder. “It’s all right. I understand why you’re worried. Hell, I _ hate _ this. She should be up and cursing under her breath and planning to leave out the window if they won’t discharge her soon.”

At least that won him a smile. 

…

Khairah stayed with Talia for almost an hour, but eventually a nurse came in and smiled at them apologetically. “I need to check that dressing,” she said.

The mere thought made her tense up, and Jay rested her hand lightly on her shoulder. “You don’t wanna watch that. It’s probably time for you to head out. I don’t like letting you out of my sight, kiddo, but that’s probably the safest bet.”

She told herself fiercely that she was _ not _ going to cry again. “All right. Call if there’s any change?”

“Of course,” he told her, and hugged her again when she stood up. Khairah buried her nose in the hollow of his throat, breathing deep to hold on to his scent as long as she could, and Jay stroked her hair soothingly. “It’s gonna be okay. I promise.”

“Okay,” she whispered.

Something occurred to Jay then, and he winced. “Oh, hell, we’re gonna have to tell your mom eventually. Listen, I don’t want to ask you to lie to her, but if she’s not expecting you to call today, can you hold off until tomorrow? I want to figure out the best way to tell her, that won’t freak her out any worse than it has to. You’re safe now, anyway.”

“Of course,” Khairah said, even though she wanted to hear her mother’s voice. She could imagine Hadiyah’s reaction to the news of her kidnapping. Despite already being rescued and safe, her mother would be furious that she was ever in danger. Perhaps furious enough to get on a plane, and as far as Khairah knew, Hadiyah had never been west of Marrakech. Gotham City would be a violent culture shock - but that would not deter an angry and protective mother.

It was better to say nothing yet, and present a united front when they did discuss it. Jay could probably reason with her more effectively than Khairah herself could. Hadiyah wasn’t expecting a call yet, so this could wait a day.

“All right, kiddo,” Jay said with a sad smile, and she hugged him one more time before taking her leave.

Nightwing had to be somewhere nearby, and Khairah hadn’t taken two steps out of the door before he appeared. “I saw the nurse go in,” he explained. “The ICU waiting room isn’t that bad. You wanna wait with me until they’re done?”

“No, J– Hood said I should probably leave for now,” she replied in a tiny voice.

“All right then,” Nightwing told her, and even he touched her arm reassuringly. These Omegas were so touchy, all of them trying to comfort her. “C’mon, let’s head back. You had a really rough day. You should probably get some rest.”

“Yes, that would be a good idea,” Khairah replied, and wrapped herself back up in every ounce of composure she had, to keep from crying.

That lasted through the ride back to Wayne Manor, during which she gave monosyllabic answers to Nightwing’s gentle questions, and Alfred ushering her to a spare bedroom. She claimed to be tired, and shut them all out gratefully, sitting down on the bed at last with a heavy sigh.

And now that she was alone, with no pitying glances upon her, Khairah found she couldn’t just let out all the emotion she’d bottled up since she first heard Jay say the word ‘stabbed’. She felt hollow, almost numb, as if everything that happened was echoing inside a vast emptiness where her heart had been before today. She wanted her mother’s voice; Hadiyah’s deep serenity would make everything right. But she’d promised not to call, and if she even began to explain why she was upset, Hadiyah might be on the next plane here. There was no relief in sight.

Just as Khairah was beginning to wonder if she would _ always _ feel like this, if she’d broken some essential component of her psyche, something tapped at her window. She narrowed her eyes; no, some _ one _ tapped at her window, that was three deliberate gentle knocks, nothing random.

She went over to open it, and found Steph sitting on her window sill. Of course, these people traversed rooftops regularly, climbing to a window was second nature. “Hey,” the blonde said. “Can I come in?”

Had anyone else asked, Khairah would’ve put them off by saying she didn’t feel like talking. Honestly she didn’t want to be alone with the hollowness in her chest, but felt too tired and strung out to make small talk. Steph, however … something about the way she asked, the earnest look in those blue eyes, made Khairah say, “Of course.”

“Thanks,” Steph told her, and climbed in easily. She closed the window before turning back to Khairah. “Listen, I just … last time my mom was in the hospital, I had to take care of everything around the house ‘cause my dad was in jail. It was really tiring, and I was only like thirteen. But it was like I almost hoped for more stuff to do, because if I didn’t have something to focus on, I just sat around wondering if she was gonna be okay this time. And thinking about how even if she _ did _ pull through, she might accidentally take one pill too many some night, and then I’d be _ alone_.”

Khairah nodded, unsure of what to say, not quite trusting her voice even if she did.

“I just thought you shouldn’t be alone, with everything that’s happened today,” Steph said, sounding a little nervous. “If you want me to leave, I’ll go.”

“No,” Khairah whispered, and the word caught in her throat. That empty feeling inside her wasn’t so numb anymore … and it wasn’t really empty, either.

“Okay. I’m here, if you need to talk about it,” Steph said, and she seemed perfectly willing to do just that, to _ be here _ for whatever Khairah might need.

She despised pity, but this honest kindness was the opposite of that. Khairah nodded, but she couldn’t quite form the words to describe what she was feeling – and to name the fears lurking in the back of her mind seemed to give them more strength.

Steph just looked at her a moment, and then nodded. “C’mere,” she said softly, reaching for Khairah’s hands.

Her vision blurred; her eyes were filling up with the tears she’d promised herself she wouldn’t shed. Especially not in front of this girl. Khairah started to step back, but Steph caught her by the shoulders. “It’s okay, Khairah. Come here. I’ve got you. It’s okay to cry; it hurts a little less when you do.”

Everything that had been hollow and achingly cold inside her heart was suddenly full of unbearable pain, fear and grief and love and more fear all twisted up together, as if Steph had unlocked it somehow with those gentle words. Under the weight of it, her composure broke beyond all hope of regaining it. Blinded by tears, Khairah wrapped her arms around the blonde, and dropped her head on Steph’s shoulder as she shuddered through a wracking sob.

“I’ve got you,” Steph whispered again, rubbing her back. She smelled like Omega, like the sweet scent of the breeze just before the rain, like something familiar and safe and _ home_. Khairah let go of the last fragile threads of self-control, and wept like a lost child on her shoulder.


	93. Chapter 93

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit short this chapter, but the next one will be over 1k.

Delia Kaplan, nee Quinzel, was not expecting any visitors, so when the doorbell rang, she paused for a moment, listening and thinking. Most suburban housewives would simply answer it, but Delia had other considerations. No one else was home at the moment, Rachel was at a friend’s house and David was working late.

It rang again, and she walked toward the front of the house. There was an umbrella stand and coat rack just inside the front door, with David’s golf bag propped up beside it. She pulled one of the clubs partway out as she looked through the peephole.

Lucy’s tired, tear-streaked face was the first thing she saw, and Delia let go of the golf club to run the chain back and unlock both locks as fast as she could. The fact that she was at peephole height, and therefore someone must be holding her, didn’t even register until she got the door open and saw Catwoman standing there. “Lucy, baby,” Delia said, and the little blonde girl  _ launched _ into her arms.

She was crying, not the hysterical I’m-too-stressed cry or the hurt I’m-in-pain cry but the tired and worn out cry. Delia could read her mood in a single sound, and she clutched her daughter close, petting her hair and murmuring softly to her.

Only once Lucy began to settle did she glare venomously at Catwoman, standing in the doorway looking embarrassed. “What did my sister do now?” she demanded. “And how come you’re bringing my daughter home?”

“You don’t watch the news?” Catwoman said, surprised.

“No,” Delia told her curtly. She preferred plausible deniability; and she hated to see her sister’s mugshot, besides.

The thief sighed. “Harley’s going back to Arkham. You probably should check the news, it’s more than I can explain. Lucy didn’t get hurt.”

“The monsters were gonna eat me up, but the scary lady saved me,” Lucy said plaintively.

Delia raised an eyebrow, and Catwoman looked defeated. “You know how Alphas have been going missing, and turning up again out of their minds? That was Harley and Ivy.”

Biting back a curse, Delia kissed her daughter’s temple again. “Mama won’t let the monsters get you, baby.”

Lucy snuggled against her shoulder, and Delia managed not to rage at her sister’s folly. The sheer short-sighted  _ idiocy _ of trying to mess with crazed Alphas while her  _ daughter _ was around… She wished she could grab Harley and shake some sense into her.

Catwoman sighed. “Harley and Ivy are in custody. Lucy should be okay.”

“Sure she will. We’ll hear about this in therapy in a few years,” Delia snapped. “Who’s this ‘scary lady’ anyway?”

“Another feral Alpha. One who, when Ivy stripped her down to just instincts, cared more about protecting a child she’d never met than anything else,” Catwoman replied just as sharply. “Speaking of which, Lucy’s going to need a shower. I sprayed some scent-blocker on her, but she managed to get artificial heat-scent on her.”

Delia froze at that. Her daughter - never mind that Lucy had been born from Harley’s womb, Delia had raised her and loved her from day one - had been left among feral Alphas while smelling like an Omega in heat? No wonder she thought of them as monsters. 

She squeezed Lucy a little too tightly, and the girl gave a complaining whine. “Hush, baby. A hot bath and some dinner and then it’s off to bed with you. You’re safe now.”

“That she certainly is,” Catwoman said, her voice sad, and when Delia looked up to thank her for getting her daughter home safely, the woman was gone.

But the night around her, even in this quiet suburb, wasn’t empty. It was Delia’s burden to know that the night was  _ never _ empty. She stepped inside, carrying her daughter, and bolted the door behind them both.


	94. Chapter 94

Jay had partly opened the curtain so he could see out from his post at Talia’s bedside. Now the day shift was leaving and the night shift was coming on; he watched the nurses conferring as they handed over their charges. A few minutes later, the door slid back, and Jay stood up smoothly, unable to entirely stifle his protective instincts even though he was expecting a visit after the shift change. The woman who arrived wore a stethoscope, and carried herself like a professional. “Hi, I’m Dr. Walden,” she said. “I understand our patient here has an identity that must be protected, and so do you. What name would you like us to use?”

Jay weighed the pros and cons for a moment. If Talia  _ did _ wake up, she wouldn’t answer to any pseudonym. “Her given name is Talia, you can use that. I’m Red Hood.”

Dr. Walden nodded in acceptance. “All right, Mr. Hood. I’m just checking in. Let me get her vitals, please.”

He stepped back, taking a deep breath through his nose. The doctor smelled like Beta, so that was all right. He watched carefully as she checked the IV and the monitors, and listened to Talia’s chest. Last, she checked the wound, and Jay felt a little queasy as she pulled the blanket down. He didn’t look away, though.

Dr. Walden covered Talia back up again. “She seems remarkably stable, given what she went through. The surgeon wants to consult tomorrow about removing the packs in her abdomen.”

“She does tend to recover quickly, and she got a good head start,” Jay replied.

No one seemed to use paper charts anymore; Dr. Walden had a tablet she took out to update the notes. “I also understand she’s under continuous sedation because of the same condition we’ve seen in a few other Alphas?”

“Yes. We’ve been calling it ‘feral’. There’s a treatment protocol available, but I don’t know if it’s safe to start,” Jay replied.

Dr. Walden glanced through the notes. “I’ve been keeping up on that one. It’s a steroidal treatment, and we really can’t risk suppressing her immune system right now. I’m afraid she’s going to be kept under sedation for a while.”

“Once the surgical site is closed, we’ll probably move her to a private facility,” Jay countered. “We won’t need sedation then, if the only people around her are ones she knows and trusts.”

That put Dr. Walden’s eyebrows up. “I’d have to advise against that, particularly in her case. Looking at her bloodwork, her hormone levels are through the roof. That would make her even more aggressive than most of the ones we’ve seen. I suspect she might be a double Alpha, but we’d have to do a DNA sequence to find out for certain.”

“Double Alpha?” Jay asked. He’d never heard the term before.

He could see Dr. Walden gearing up for an educational lecture. “I don’t know your genetics background, but all three designations are controlled by the same gene. The allele for Beta is dominant; if anyone has one copy of the Beta allele, then they’re Beta, no matter what the other copy is. They can still carry the other designations, and may have Alpha or Omega offspring. The alleles for Alpha and Omega are recessive, but Alpha is dominant to Omega. As the most recessive allele, Omega is always homozygous: all Omegas have two copies of the Omega allele. Most Alphas are the product of Alpha-Omega pairings, and are heterozygous, having both an Alpha allele and a hidden Omega allele.”

“Right, I’ve heard most of that before,” Jay said. It had seemed confusing that Betas would be the dominant gene, when everyone associated Alphas with dominance, but genetic dominance and social dominance were two very different things. There were more Betas than anyone else, so the population stats bore it out. And Alpha-Omega marriages could only produce Alphas and Omegas, never Betas. Alphas in general preferred Omegas; in some places there were still laws that defined marriage as only valid between two Betas, or between an Alpha and an Omega. Cross-designation relationships were legal in most of the developed world, but often looked at with suspicion.

“Rarely, an Alpha-Alpha, Alpha-Beta, or Beta-Beta pairing can produce a child with two copies of the Alpha allele,” Dr. Walden continued. “The official medical term is homozygous Alpha, but most people in the reproductive field just call them double Alphas.”

“Her father was Alpha and her mother was Beta,” Jay said.

Dr. Walden nodded. “If my guess is right, then her mother may have been the product of an Alpha-Beta marriage as well. Or the Alpha gene was passed down through several generations of Betas. A lot of Betas are carriers for the other designations, and don’t know it.”

Jay frowned a little, thinking. “I also know she was tested for designation as an infant. This sounds like the kind of thing that, if her father had known, he’d tell her - and half the world, too.”

“The blood test some people get in childhood isn’t as specific as full gene sequencing,” Dr. Walden said. “It’s simpler, but much faster. Full gene sequencing has only really been available for the last twenty years, so if her test was done in infancy, it was the quick-match test.”

“And no one would think to test it again, because she’s obviously Alpha now,” Jay said. “So what does it mean, in practical terms? We never guessed she was anything but an ordinary Alpha.”

“She’s at slightly higher risk for the usual Alpha ailments like hypertension and heart disease. She probably has to take a stronger dose of suppressants than other Alphas, too,” Dr. Walden replied.

“She doesn’t take suppressants,” Jay replied, and saw the doctor’s eyebrows go up slightly, but she didn’t comment on that.

“Also, the notes say you’re her Omega. So if my guess is right and she is a double Alpha, any child the two of you have is going to be a heterozygous or ‘normal’ Alpha. It’s genetically impossible for her to have an Omega child,” Dr. Walden said.

They weren’t planning on kids, but that meant Khairah had never even had a chance of being Omega. Hadiyah hadn’t known; Jay was fairly certain Talia herself didn’t know. It was the kind of thing that would only add to the Demon’s legend, so Ra’s would definitely have considered it something to brag about. 

And also the kind of thing that would make Talia’s recovery extremely difficult. If anything, he could expect her to be  _ more _ aggressive when feral.

“We’ll look into it later,” Jay told the doctor. “Right now I’m just worried about her recovering.”

“Understandable,” Dr. Walden said with a sympathetic smile. “She’s in good hands, Mr. Hood.”

Jay nodded agreement, but he’d still be happier when Talia was  _ out _ of the hospital.


	95. Chapter 95

Khairah woke at the sound of a knock on the door. She lifted her head, aware that she was in a strange room but feeling oddly comfortable there. Her nose was full of the familiar, steadying scent of Omega, the scent that had meant _home_ all her life.

“Good morning, Miss Khairah,” the butler said through the door. “Breakfast is in one hour.”

She blinked, yawned, and said in a sleep-roughened voice, “Thank you, Mr. Pennyworth.”

“Thanks, Alfred,” Steph called from right beside her, and Khairah found herself waking up in a hurry. She sat all the way up, cudgeling her bleary mind for the details of the last night and how she’d ended up _here_, taking stock of herself on the way.

They were both in pajamas, and a vague memory returned of crying of Steph’s shoulder, letting out all of the grief and fear she’d been feeling since Talia traded herself for Khairah’s safety. The tears had left her exhausted, and the blonde Omega guided her to the bed. Khairah had napped until the door opened, and she’d growled at the intrusion. It had only been the two Betas, Cassandra Cain and Timothy Drake, bringing dinner for her and Stephanie. The four of them had eaten together companionably, and Khairah didn’t feel any pressure to make conversation. Afterward the others left, and Khairah had taken a shower and changed into pajamas that belonged to Cass.

Stephanie was back on the window sill, in her own pajamas, when Khairah got out of the shower. She’d made a tentative remark about needing to sleep, and the blonde had nodded. “It’s not going to be easy to fall asleep, especially after that nap. And you shouldn’t be alone. I’ll stick around, unless you want me to go.”

Khairah hadn’t been able to send her away. She’d assumed Steph would leave once she fell asleep; they talked lightly of things that weren’t painful as Khairah grew drowsier.

Evidently she’d fallen asleep, her head pillowed on Steph’s shoulder, and the Omega had stayed at her side all night. Khairah felt a blush creeping up her neck; she knew how that would be perceived back home, what people would say, and how scandalized Hadiyah would’ve been if she knew.

Steph just smiled at her, looking perfectly comfortable in Khairah’s bed, and said mischievously, “Don’t worry, I still respect you even though we just slept together.”

Khairah’s jaw dropped at that, and Steph laughed gently at her flummoxed expression. Managing to recover her words, Khairah said, “But they’ll know you were here.”

“So?” Steph said with a shrug. “It’s fine, Khairah. Alfred’s used to finding me, Tim, and Cass in each other’s rooms all the time. No one says anything as long as we’re being safe and responsible about it.”

“You, Tim, _and_ Cass?” Khairah echoed, raising an eyebrow.

“Yes. Ethical polyamory is a thing,” Steph told her. There was a slight edge to her voice, as if she expected Khairah to question her or shame her. Neither of which Khairah felt she had any standing to do.

A part of her mind - one she was not particularly proud of - was quick to note that if Steph was dating _two_ people, she might be open to dating _three_.

“And no one’s parents object to that?” was all she asked.

Steph gave a short laugh. “Tim’s parents are dead, my dad’s in jail and my mom’s dead, and Cass’ parents are both in the League of Assassins, so they’re more worried about her fighting for the other side than who she sleeps with. It’s kind of a non-issue.”

Khairah frowned at that. “I didn’t realize you had all lost your parents, one way or the other.”

“Nobody with a normal happy family life puts on a costume and sneaks out at night to fight crime,” Steph said lightly. “We have each other, now. And speaking of family life, I take it your mom would _not_ be cool about it?”

Khairah gave a self-deprecating laugh. “Ommi thinks I’m still a child. She is the founder and leader of an Omega sanctuary city; the entire reason I’m traveling with my sire is because it’s not a good thing for an Alpha to grow up surrounded by Omegas with plenty of reason to resent my kind. She would be shocked, I think. And then she would ask if you intended to convert to Islam.”

That won her a grin. “Not looking forward to those kinds of questions, ever. Seriously, though. Parents never quite realize what their kids are up to. I mean, it took my parents the longest time to realize I was running around as Spoiler and then Robin. My mom didn’t even realize I was dating a guy until I got pregnant. That, I wasn’t so good at hiding.”

Khairah blinked in surprise. No wonder Steph seemed so sensible. She’d already been through enough challenges to have developed wisdom and serenity. Her sunny demeanor hid a wealth of sorrows. “You … you have a child?”

Steph smiled sadly. “I was only fourteen. I gave her up for adoption; she deserved better than I could give her.”

“And the father? Or sire?” Khairah asked, her voice tense.

Steph laughed at that. “He was a Beta guy named Dean. He disappeared after I showed him the pregnancy test; when he turned back up six months later, I kicked his ass. Don’t worry about him, he was a dumb kid too.”

Khairah scoffed. “You deserved better.”

“Yeah, no one gets what they deserve. Sometimes that’s a good thing, sometimes … not so much,” Steph said, with a philosophical shrug.

That sounded a lot like something Hadiyah had said, when Khairah complained about unfairness in life. She smiled, and said, “My mother would like you.”

Steph tilted her head sideways, and gave Khairah a wry grin. “Oh yeah? Planning to introduce me to your mom before the first date, Khairah?”

That made her blush again, but at least she had wits enough to reply, “You said the motorcycle ride here was the first date.”

Steph laughed merrily. “Good point. I guess there’s no point in telling you I don’t usually sleep with someone on the first date, huh?”

“Neither do I,” Khairah replied, regardless of the fact that she hadn’t slept with _anyone_ yet.

Taking her hand and giving her fingers a reassuring squeeze, Steph said, “Well, at least we know your sire likes me. And she doesn’t strike me as the type to demand a shotgun wedding. Hopefully your mom wouldn’t either.”

“She would not - forced marriage is something our city exists to prevent - but Ommi and Talia are almost nothing alike,” Khairah explained.

“Opposites attract?” Steph asked.

Only then did Khairah realize that _she didn’t __**know**_. Most likely _no one_ in this household knew her background. She must’ve looked stunned, because Steph squeezed her hand again and asked, “Okay, what did I get wrong?”

“They didn’t … they weren’t…” Khairah began, and realized this also wasn’t her story alone to tell. She regrouped, and only said, “They did not know one another. And it is rather a long story.”

“Okay,” Steph said, instead of asking questions. Khairah was grateful fo that forbearance. She continued, “We probably should get dressed and head down to breakfast, though. And all joking aside, I’m gonna need to head to my _own_ room to change clothes.”

Khairah blushed again, which made Steph smile. She rallied enough to say, “I’ll see you at breakfast, then.”

“Count on it,” Steph replied, and leaned in to place a quick, chaste kiss on Khairah’s cheek.

She was still smiling half an hour later when she sat down to breakfast with the rest of the family.


	96. Chapter 96

Jay couldn’t sleep. He dozed off a few times, but the ICU was busy all night. Every time someone walked past the door, every time a monitor somewhere went off, every time he overheard a conversation in the hall, he woke up again.

By morning he was frazzled, and all too aware of the responsibilities weighing on him. He had gotten in touch with Mehmet overnight, ordering a supply of strengthening herbal teas formulated by Talia’s physicians to be sent to a drop box here in Gotham. He also ordered a couple doses of Lazarus tincture, a derivative of the Pit that would speed healing without, hopefully, causing any ‘Lazarus fever’. Ra’s al Ghul had called it that, but to Jay’s mind, it was basically a psychotic break. And the _last_ thing Talia needed on top of being feral. But she had used it before, when she was badly injured, with no ill effects.

He mostly stayed out of the way as nurses, doctors, and surgeons came in to examine Talia. Finally one of them said they were taking her to surgery at noon, to remove the packs and close her abdomen. Jay called Khairah with the news, and was glad to hear her sounding steadier. Bruce commandeered the phone after they were done talking, and said, “When will they release her?”

Jay scoffed. “I’m sure they want to keep her for a few days, but I’m getting her out of here tonight if the surgery goes well.”

“We have the cell downstairs ready,” Bruce replied.

Taking a deep breath, Jay reminded himself who he was talking to, and that Bruce had been confined to that cell, too. “Yeah, no, that’s not gonna work. She’ll go ballistic if she wakes up in a cell, B. You know that. Talia can’t stand feeling trapped, and even if I’m in there with her, she’ll hurt herself trying to get out.”

“It’s the safest place for her, at least until we can reverse the feral state,” Bruce said, implacable as ever.

“We can’t start treatment when she’s injured. The steroids Doc Leslie used on you would suppress her immune system, and she’s just had major abdominal surgery. The doctors here are worried about the risk of infection.” Jay didn’t like any of the alternatives he was seeing, either.

“And we can’t keep her sedated until she heals,” Bruce said, sounding like he was thinking aloud. “I assume she’s getting all of her nutrition through a nasogastric tube, which is suboptimal for the caloric needs of an Alpha as fit as she is. Not to mention, we’ll eventually be looking at the risk of bedsores.”

“I’ve got some stuff on order to help her heal faster, but I agree with you, keeping her knocked out isn’t good. And I doubt it’s good for her to stay on the dosage of sedatives she needs to keep her unconscious. She usually burns through drugs pretty quickly.” Jay found himself surprised that they were talking civilly about this.

“We can’t have her running loose in the Manor, Jay,” Bruce said. “I have to think of the others.”

“She’s got a ten-inch incision straight up the middle of her belly. She’s not _running_ anywhere any time soon,” Jay pointed out. “Look, if I have to I’ll check us into a hotel. I’m going to have to stay with her regardless.”

“You’re not taking her to a hotel. She’s going to need a physician in attendance, and you can’t inflict a feral and very lethal even when injured Alpha on the unsuspecting staff of a hotel.” Bruce’s tone was implacable, and Jay had to admit he had a point. It was hard for him to think beyond getting Talia out of here so he could get the Lazarus tincture into her. The sooner she was physically healed, the sooner they could start getting her mentally right again.

“Well, what does that leave us with?” Jay asked. He was too damn tired to come up with a brilliant solution.

At least Bruce had an idea. “We’ll bring you both to the Manor, then. The west wing has a couple of guest suites. The two of you can stay in one of those, and the rest of us will keep to the main house and the east wing. With the suite locked and the doors to the west wing locked, that will keep her from trying to attack anyone.”

“Sounds like a plan to me,” Jay replied, relieved.

…

Khairah was waiting at the front door when the limousine pulled up. She’d been in the garage when it was hastily converted for patient transport, with seats removed to make room for a rolling gurney. After it left, with Nightwing at the wheel, she’d been unable to sit still, waiting for her sire’s return.

Steph, Tim, and Cass had all done an exemplary job of keeping her distracted throughout the day, and even the adults seemed focused on her well-being. Alfred, Selina, Dick, Barbara, and Bruce were all solicitous of her, and Khairah found it a bit bizarre to be the center of so much attention. She tried to carry herself as her sire would have, but whenever the stress of maintaining that facade began to grow too heavy, one of the other teenagers would pull her away. She’d played a round of tennis with all of them, helped Cass with her reading, and proofread a paper Tim was writing, always with Steph somewhere nearby.

But now the waiting was almost over. She wanted desperately to see Talia again, even knowing she would still be unconscious. They were going to move her and Jay into a suite of rooms here, and let her wake up to recover more effectively. Khairah had overheard Dr. Tompkins say that the feral state might reverse itself; it was something like an autoimmune response, and Talia’s immune system was busy dealing with the insult of being stabbed and then operated upon.

If not, she’d wake up maddened, and Khairah had heard about the confrontation in the cells. Even feral, she didn’t think Talia would be a threat to  _her_ . But no one would even think of letting her attend her sire. She hoped Jay would change their minds, but didn’t want to bother him by asking. He had enough to worry about.

He was the first one out of the limousine, and Khairah saw immediately that he was close to exhaustion. His dark hair stood up in crazed spikes where he’d run his hands through it, and he moved like his joints ached. Still, he hurried to open both doors wide so they could get Talia out.

Khairah hung back as Jay and Dick pulled the gurney out and rolled it in through the front door. Talia lay unnaturally still, an IV attached to the pole at the head of the gurney running fluids and continuous sedatives into her veins. The two men moved quickly yet smoothly, not jarring their patient.

Jay saw Khairah waiting, and flashed her a tired smile. “God, it’s good to see you, kiddo. Let me get her settled in.”

“Of course,” she said, standing aside, her heart aching as she watched them roll the gurney toward the elevator. Steph came to stand beside her, taking her hand silently. Cass appeared at her other side – the Beta girl was the only one so far who could sneak up on her like that – and leaned her shoulder against Khairah’s.

“I’m all right,” Khairah told them both, and neither of them argued, even though they had to know by the quaver in her voice that it wasn’t true.


	97. Chapter 97

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A longer chapter this week, but the dreaded call to Hadiyah needed to be made.
> 
> We're definitely winding down. I haven't been able to work as much as I'd like, but I'm getting close to finishing this fic. All of your comments and kudos are deeply appreciated. Stay safe and healthy out there, my friends

Jay got Talia transferred to the bed, hanging the IV on the wall above her, and Doc Leslie came in to examine her. Both the surgical incision and the stab wound were neatly closed, and Leslie paged through the treatment records as well. “She looks to be on the right path,” the doctor finally said.

“Thank God,” Jay sighed.

“We need to keep her on the blood pressure medication, but we can start weaning off the sedatives. I want to leave that IV for now, even after she wakes up. If she’ll tolerate it, of course. I’d prefer to have a direct route to administer further meds, especially if there are any signs of infection,” Leslie continued.

Nodding, Jay told her, “I’ve got some stuff on the way from her personal physicians to speed up the healing process. I need to go _get_ it, though, and it won’t come in until tomorrow. I also need to call Khairah’s mom and let her know what went down, which is gonna be ugly, but it has to be done.”

“You kept the girl as safe as you could,” Leslie told him.

“No, we didn’t. We left her alone in a hotel, knowing a kidnapper was working the nearest city. I’ll take the fall for it. If we wait until Talia’s in her right mind, it’ll be worse when Hadiyah finds out.” Jay scrubbed a hand over his face, wishing he could just fall into the bed beside Talia and sleep.

“You couldn’t have known what would happen,” Leslie told him. “So, you want to keep her on sedatives tonight?”

He thought about it, and shook his head. “No, let’s start weaning her off as soon as we can. I hate having her like this, Doc.”

She nodded, and touched his arm reassuringly. “It’s going to take a while for her to come up from it. I’ll stay with her for now, while you go and hug Khairah and then make that call. We can start pulling her off the sedatives afterward. We’ve got video and audio monitoring in here, so if things start to go sideways, you won’t be alone.”

“Thank you,” Jay said, and impulsively hugged her. Leslie patted his back.

He headed out of the room, finding everyone gathered at the hallway where the west wing met the main house. “She’s settled in, Leslie’s staying with her for now. I need to call Khairah’s mom,” Jay told them.

“You need to eat something first,” Dick said, and that was how Jay ended up herded down to the kitchen for a Dick Grayson Leftovers Sandwich. Khairah sat beside him, laughing a little as Dick piled on more toppings and condiments, but Jay had deeply missed those sandwiches. Usually the two of them ate them in the middle of the night, laughing over the day’s exploits, and it had always felt like they were getting away with something. Never mind that Alfred surely knew where the food was disappearing to. Growing boys needed plenty of calories.

The rest of the family had been more or less shooed away, for which Jay was momentarily grateful. All of them were concerned about Talia, of course, but he needed a little space to process everything that was going on. And of course, space enough to make the call he was dreading. At least facing it on a full stomach was slightly easier than otherwise.

Finishing the last bite of the sandwich, Jay let out a contented sigh, and then looked over to Khairah. “You ready, kiddo?” he asked.

“No, but we need to tell her,” she said, with such a look of grim resignation that Jay couldn’t help rumpling her hair. Khairah swatted at his hand for that.

“Don’t be such an Alpha about it,” he chided. “_You_ didn’t do anything wrong. You’re still the kid; Talia and I are the ones who have to take responsibility.”

Khairah rolled her eyes, and Jay just stood up, washing his plate and setting it aside to dry before heading off to the library. He set his phone up on the reading table, pulling up two chairs for himself and Khairah, and finally made the video call.

Watching the phone screen – with his image and Khairah’s down in the corner – made every second seem to last an eternity, but after three rings Hadiyah answered. Her solemn expression lit up in a smile at the sight of her daughter. “Marhabaan, Jason, Khairah. This is an unexpected pleasure.”

“Marhabaan biki, Hadiyah,” Jay replied. “I wish I had pleasant news.”

Hadiyah gave him an arch look at that, and Khairah put in, “Ommi, I’m _fine_.”

“What has happened?” Hadiyah asked, with a hint of sternness in her tone just in case Jay had forgotten she led al-Hirz – and its guards.

“We ran into some trouble in Gotham,” he said, and summarized the whole ordeal as broadly as possible. Up until the part where he had to say, “And then the kidnappers changed locations, and they took Khairah.”

Her dark eyes flashed, her shoulders tensing, and if Hadiyah had been the type to curse, Jay would’ve expected a flood of profanity to rain down on him and all his ancestors. Instead she said in a tight, controlled voice, “And why is the Demon not here with you, to explain her negligence? For it was to _her_ that I gave the keeping of my only child.”

“Because she’s currently not in her right mind, and also recovering from a stab wound and major surgery,” Jay shot back. Hadiyah looked properly shocked, and he kept his voice more level to continue, “She decided to be an Alpha about the whole thing, ditched the rest of us, and went hunting Khairah herself.” He was _still_ pissed about the whole situation, he just couldn’t be angry with Talia when she’d so clearly paid the price for her own folly. “That meant when she caught up with them, she got outmaneuvered with no backup, and had to surrender herself so they’d let Khairah go.”

Her startled gaze cut to Khairah’s woeful face, and Hadiyah asked, “Haqa?”

“Yes, it’s the truth,” Khairah replied, morose. “I told her not to.”

Hadiyah huffed at that, and Jay cut in. “Khairah was smart and resourceful; she memorized a landmark that led us right to where they were keeping all the feral Alphas. But we still weren’t in time. They’d already given Talia their ‘cure’, and it drove her feral.”

“How did such a fearsome warrior as the Demon get wounded?” Hadiyah asked, with true concern in her tone.

This was the part that _truly_ infuriated Jay. “Well, one of the damn idiots had her _kid_ there, and somehow the girl got into the lure scent that smells like the perfect Omega in heat. Then she decided to go wandering around the cells. It drove all the feral Alphas nuts, obviously. They started breaking out of their cells, and Talia broke out too.”

Khairah gasped, and Jay realized no one had given her the full replay of how it had all happened; his phone call to her yesterday had been brief by necessity, and he hadn’t gone into these details. So before either of them could question, he hastened to continue, “Talia _protected_ the girl from the others. Hell, she protected the girl from _us_ until she figured out who we were. But that’s how she got herself stabbed. She killed the most violent of the feral Alphas and chased the rest out. I didn’t even realize she was injured until after everything quieted down.”

“If ever I doubted her insistence that the nature of an Alpha is protective,” Hadiyah said, and shook her head. “How is she now?”

Jay sighed. “We got her to the hospital only to find out the bastard stabbed her in the liver, and she was bleeding badly. She’ll recover, but we can’t start reversing the feral state until she’s past the risk of infection.”

Hadiyah nodded. “And you chose to contact me yourself because you knew I would rather hear of this as soon as possible, than wait for her to be able to tell me.”

He shrugged. “I’m sure she’s going to want to speak to you as soon as she _can_ speak. You’re Khairah’s mom, though, you deserve to know what’s up. And we did screw up royally. I’d understand if you wanted Khairah on a plane tonight.”

Khairah made a protesting sound, but Hadiyah just sighed. “My daughter is manifestly unharmed, and clearly does not want to leave just yet. It would not be fair to the Demon to have her wake from this state and find Khairah gone, either. No, the mother in me cries out to have my child in my arms again … but I knew there would be risks, in sending her to _anyone_. At least with you, I know she will learn from an Alpha we can all respect. And that you and the Demon both will do whatever it takes to keep her safe.”

Jay let out the breath he’d been holding; he honestly expected Hadiyah to either demand Khairah back, or to get on a plane headed here. She was wiser and more patient than he could’ve been, in her place.

And then she leaned forward, her dark gaze spearing him through the phone screen despite thousands of miles. “_Do not_ be so negligent again, Jason Todd. I am holding _you_ responsible as well, from now on. I do not care how awkward it might be for you to bring my daughter amongst your family, you will put her safety above all else. Or you will answer to _me_.”

He’d been threatened before, with more violence and more anger, but Hadiyah sent a chill up his spine because he knew exactly how she felt and what she meant. From one Omega to another, there was no posturing or overt threat, only the promise that she would consider him liable for whatever happened to Khairah.

“Trust me, I’m not taking this lightly,” Jay said, instead of bristling. He couldn’t blame her. “And she’s getting along with my family just fine.”

“They’re good people, Ommi,” Khairah hastened to add.

Hadiyah seemed a little mollified. “And what of these kidnappers?”

Jay rubbed at his face again; he hadn’t checked into that. “They’re probably in the asylum again. If they make one wrong move, I’ll put them both down. Nobody messes with my Alpha, _or_ my kid.”

Hadiyah’s lips quirked up in a wry smile; Khairah was basically his stepdaughter, anyway. “You know I do not conscience murder, save in self-defense, but I cannot blame you. Go and see to Talia; I would like to be kept informed of her condition.”

“Of course,” Jay said. “Khairah, if you wanna call her on your phone to talk more, feel free. I’ve got take care of your sire. The sooner we can get her off the sedatives, the better.”

The three of them said their goodbyes for the moment, and Jay ended the call with a huge sigh of relief. Khairah put her arm around his shoulders; he felt a little chagrined that she thought _he_ needed comforting, when it was his job to take care of her. “I’m glad she didn’t insist that I leave,” she said.

Jay turned in the chair and hugged her. Khairah smelled a lot like Talia, only drier, with a note of woodsy spice. She leaned into his arms gratefully, and Jay chuckled. “Me too. Surprise surprise, I kinda like having you around – and Talia’s gonna be glad to see you again, too.”

“I’ll call Ommi back. You go ahead,” Khairah told him with a smile.

He headed out of the parlor and back to the west wing, ready for the next step: letting Talia wake up.


	98. Chapter 98

Bruce paced ceaselessly. He had a thousand things he ought to be doing, but at the moment his full attention was captured by sensors monitoring the west wing. From the speaker came Jason’s voice, ragged with exhaustion, speaking soothingly as he had more than a dozen times this morning. “Talia, you have to rest. It’s okay, we’re safe, don’t try to get up. You have to _rest_…” And then the defiant growl, the whimper of pain, and the furious snarl as Jason tried to lead her back to the bed.

There had been a few peaceful hours after Talia arrived here. Jason and Khairah’s reunion was touching to witness, and Jay had called Khairah’s mother while Talia slept on under the sedatives. Dr. Tompkins had checked her over and cautiously approved of the plan to wean her off the drugs and let her wake up. No one else would go into the west wing, and the suite Talia and Jay had been installed in should’ve been spacious enough for her to recover.

But from the moment she began to awaken, late last night, Talia had been fractious. At first she seemed woozy from the drugs, and Jason had sat up all night holding her and soothing her with his voice and presence. Bruce could not bear to listen to the pained, fearful whines as she shivered through waking nightmares, and yet he felt like stepping away from the monitors was abandoning her. He’d done that once, to both of their regret, and wasn’t coward enough to do it again.

This morning, Talia seemed fully awake, and absolutely intent on not cooperating. She’d shammed sleep long enough for Jason to go to the bathroom, then gotten out of bed and started trying the door. Bruce was chagrined to realize Jay had been right, trying to keep her in a cell would drive her berserk, but Talia resented even the captivity of a sumptuous set of rooms. They were just lucky Dr. Tompkins had removed the IV last night, for Talia would’ve surely pulled it out.

Something crashed, and he whirled around. Barbara was watching the screens with him, and her worried frown deepened as they both saw Talia swat a lamp off the bedside table and snarl at Jay. “She won’t hurt him,” Bruce said.

“He knows that,” Barbara replied, as Jason moved toward her anyway, pleading with her to lie down, to rest, to let herself heal. Talia only looked toward the door, still growling.

Dick appeared in the doorway, asking, “Is she any better?”

“Worse,” Bruce said, his voice clipped. “Get Cass.”

Dick hesitated, but went. A few moments later, he returned with Cass, who walked past Bruce to stare at the screen. Jason knew they were being watched and listened to, he’d agreed to the surveillance, but he seemed to have forgotten the rest were available. He was entirely focused on Talia, who paced and growled and pressed one hand against her abdomen in pain, but would not settle down.

“What does she want?” Bruce asked Cass.

The young woman watched the screen intently, not answering at first. Bruce was as patient as she was, though Dick in the doorway shifted his weight worriedly. Finally, Cass said, “Not safe. Can’t protect. Can’t escape.”

Bruce tried to cast his mind back into the reddish haze of being feral. He had wanted to protect his city and everyone in it, he’d been driven by that need – and the knowledge that he had to remain free to do so. When his children ranged themselves against him, he had fled; he could not harm them, but could not let them capture him either. Only when Selina confronted him had he stayed to fight.

No, only when Talia challenged him, appearing to threaten Selina, did he stand and fight.

So now Talia felt the same urgent, inescapable drive to protect Jason, who was trying to protect _her_ from her own reckless actions. And yet she had to know she was badly wounded, even worse than when she’d last faced all of them in Poison Ivy’s lab. She _couldn’t_ protect Jay from any threat.

But what threat could she perceive? The rooms were unused and clean, there was no threatening Alpha scent. Only Alfred had been there to place the linens…

And Talia knew perfectly well who Alfred was, and who he worked for. She probably knew exactly _where_ she was. Bruce himself was the threat Talia felt driven to face, another Alpha who might hurt or steal her Omega. And she was even justified in it, wasn’t she? He’d spent years trying to reach Jason and ‘rescue’ him from Talia.

No more. Bruce turned to Cass, and said, “I need your help.”

…

Jay felt like he was losing his mind. The last time he’d slept had been a few thin hours in the ICU. Talia was up all night with nightmares as the drugs worked through her system, and now she was hell-bent on getting out of the suite. He couldn’t even take a piss without her trying the door.

Worse, she was threatening _him_ now. He didn’t think it would escalate to blows – and he could take her, if he had to – but every violent motion had to be straining the stitches holding her surgical wound closed. Jay kept thinking he could smell blood beneath the bandages.

Bruce’s voice came over the intercom, and though Talia shied and snarled at it, Jay still made out the words. “Unlock the door and let her out.”

“Have you lost your ever-fuckin’ _mind_?” Jay yelped, as Talia paced beneath the speaker mounted near the ceiling.

“Jason, she knows where she is. She won’t rest until she’s sure you’re safe from me. Either we sedate her – and getting a sufficient dose into her won’t be easy – or you let her out to confront me. She and I can sort it out, Alpha to Alpha.” Bruce spoke calmly as ever.

“Did you miss the part where the other feral Alphas had heart attacks whenever they confronted each other?” Jay spat.

“She’s on blood pressure medication. I don’t think this will take long. I promise I won’t hurt her, Jason,” Bruce replied.

“Yeah, I can’t promise _she_ won’t hurt _you_,” Jay said, laughing at the sheer insanity of the whole situation.

“She’s unarmed. I’ll recover,” Bruce said, and Talia growled again,

Jay decided the hell with it, if he was planning to let her kick his ass, so be it. “Just have Doc Leslie on standby,” he said, crossing to the door.

“You have to stay in the room,” Bruce added. “You’re stressed, and she knows it. She’ll be more aggressive if you’re there. Let her come to me in the hall.”

That sounded as reasonable as anything. This suite was theirs, if temporarily, and Talia might fight to the death if another Alpha crossed the threshold. The hall was at least somewhat neutral ground. But wherever Jay went, Talia would make her stand there. “I hope you know what you’re in for,” he said, and unlocked the door.

Talia was by his side, and despite trying to get out for the last three hours, when he swung it wide and stepped away, she stood inside the room. She lifted her head, sniffing deeply, and Jay was reminded of films he’d seen of big cats hunting, searching for the scent of prey.

Or the scent of a rival. Talia stiffened, and growled deep in her throat. With one last glance at him, which even without words he could easily read as ‘Stay there,’ she strode into the hall.


	99. Chapter 99

Talia stood as tense as if electrified. She’d fought for hours to leave these rooms. This was not her home, not her territory. The Beta she smelled was known to her, but not her kin. A threat awaited her, one she could not let her treasured Omega face alone, no matter how he tried to restrain her.

Pain gnawed at her. Her whole midsection ached, and both the small stab wound high up in her side and the long cut down her belly burned with every step. She did not let it stop her. Some things were more important than pain. Talia knew she couldn’t keep herself or her Omega safe in her current state. She needed to flee, to find someplace where she could curl up and nurse her wounds until she was ready to fight again. Someplace far from any other Alpha.

When Jay finally opened the door, she stopped on the threshold, sniffing. All seemed quiet … and then a faint scent of Alpha reached her nose. She growled, warning Jay to remain behind, and went to confront this one opponent. The Alpha scent was weak, and she hoped to be able to bluff. Had she been in full possession of her wits, she would’ve recognized that faintness as the dulling effect of suppressants, not the hallmark of a weak Alpha. Talia strode out, her shoulders squared.

At the end of the hallway stood a man whose face and build were as well-known to her as her own visage. Talia bristled; this was no minor Alpha to be bluffed away, this was one who was close to her own strength at the peak of her capabilities. And they had never settled the question of dominance between them. Wishing for a weapon, Talia took a deep breath and roared at him, hoping he would turn away.

This was his house, though. That Beta she’d smelled was as near to a father as he had. He would not flee; instead he held his ground, and bowed his head slightly, not answering her challenge but not yielding either.

Talia approached with measured strides, every cell of her body bristling with aggression. Her growl rose and fell, but never entirely stopped, as she stalked up to the other Alpha. When she closed to striking distance, he looked up and met her gaze.

Direct eye contact was a threat, but his dark blue eyes were calm and steady. “I am not your enemy, Talia,” he said to her, his voice soft and kind. “I never was.”

The tone of the words reached her more than the sense of them. The way he held himself, too, was as non-threatening as he could be without kneeling to her. Talia snarled anyway; she had more than herself to consider. She did not trust him with her Omega.

He didn’t back down, and didn’t square up to fight, either. “You’re safe here,” he told her, keeping his hands loose and at his side, his shoulders relaxed. He was holding himself in that pose, she could tell; no Alpha would readily stand so calm in the face of a threat. Yet he wanted her to believe that he was entirely passive.

Talia closed the distance in a series of mincing steps, tense and growling. Still he did not move. She feinted a blow at his abdomen, and he stiffened, but did not react. And then while he was reacting to the feint, she made a scything strike, her forearm rising to meet his jaw. A line of fire seared up her belly as she stretched the recent incision, but it did not stop her.

The other Alpha got his arm up in time to partially block the blow, and Talia followed up with a heavy punch to his stomach, with all of her strength behind it. He fell back then, staggering for a stride, and she retreated, falling into a defensive stance to await the inevitable counter-attack. Perhaps she could wound him badly enough in the first exchange to frighten him off.

He straightened, and looked directly at her, without anger or retaliation in his gaze. “I am not your enemy, Talia,” the Alpha repeated. “I won’t hurt you, or him, no matter what you do.”

She froze. Her instincts had no script for this. He should have either fought, or submitted. He had not done either. Talia stood, breathing his scent, aware of a warm trickle against her skin as torn stitches began to bleed. No one else moved, or spoke; they were alone in the hall, Jay safely in the room behind her.

The other Alpha extended his hand to her. Talia snarled and slapped it away. He waited a moment, then extended it again. She glared into his eyes and growled. If this were some trick, she’d die with her teeth buried in his throat before she’d let him hurt her Omega. He only stood there, hand out, waiting for her response.

His passivity forced her to think, as best she could in her current state. She could not protect Jay, as she was. Her wounds were too severe. And old memories were prompting her to trust this Alpha, even as newer ones screamed at her to flee. Gingerly, she placed her hand in his, expecting every second to be seized and attacked.

His hand slid up past her wrist, grasping her forearm lightly. Stiffening, Talia seized his arm, ready to strike with all her might. He only held her, their carpal glands touching. “You are safe in my house,” he told her. “You and Jason are both safe here. I won’t let any harm come to either of you.”

She growled at her Omega’s name in this Alpha’s mouth, but he made no move to force her to submit. He only looked at her, patient and calm and quiet.

Here was strength, courage to face her without yielding, and yet no sense of violence emanated from him. Talia was unsure of how to proceed. She  _ wanted _ to trust that  _ someone _ would look out for her, and for Jay, while she was too badly injured to care for them both. But could she trust this man, truly?

She stepped in close, lifting her face to his throat. He stiffened; he was not pleased at the thought of her biting her mark into his scent glands, or of her biting at his jugular in an attempt to kill him. She could read both possibilities in his hesitation, but he held firm. Talia sniffed deeply of his scent, there where it was strongest, and old memories woke in her mind. Leather and tobacco and musk, he smelled like her father’s library, the safest and happiest place of her childhood. He also smelled like himself, who had been her lover, in whose arms she had slept dreamless and safe.

Until they went to war over his Omega son whom she claimed for her own, and even so that battle had never come to open fighting. It was a cold war, of resentment and silence.

And it was a war that had ended. She and Jay had saved him, recently; she’d fought and subdued him, and then when she met this man again with her mind clouded red with rut and rage, he had knelt rather than fight her. He would not do so here, in his own home, but he would not fight against her.

He would not hurt Jay, who had been his son, whose death had broken him. Even though Jay’s resurrection had hurt him worse, this man would  _ not _ harm her Omega. Her fear had always been that he would take Jay from her, not hurt him. She knew the Alpha as few did, and knew how deeply his love ran for the children he gathered to his banner. He might not be the best at showing it – demonstrating love was never easy for this lonely man, wounded so cruelly and so young – but he loved them all. He was nothing like the figure of stone he wished the world to see.

Just as she was not the fierce and uncompromising warrior she wanted the world to believe she was. Talia was, in her heart of hearts, driven by love and compassion just as much as he had always been. Both of them did terrible, ruthless things in the name of that love, to each other and to others. But neither of them would do real harm to a person they both loved.

Talia reasoned all of that out without words, breathing his scent, feeling his careful grip on her forearm. She drew back, letting her hand slide through his, and looked steadily at him. He nodded to her, and turned away, leaving her in possession of the hall.

She watched him go out, and then made her way carefully back to the rooms she’d been granted. Jay met her at the door, and she sank into his embrace gratefully. At last, she believed this was a sanctuary she could trust.


	100. Chapter 100

Jay woke from a thin doze to find the bed beside him empty, the door open, and the sound of Talia’s growl drifting in from the hallway. “Fucking _ hell_,” he muttered, getting up and padding barefoot through the small sitting room.

Yesterday, after she confronted Bruce and apparently decided to trust him, she’d come back in and let him re-dress her wounds. Two stitches were torn, and he’d secured them with tape for the time being. The whole incision in her abdomen looked red and angry, but the Lazarus tincture was going to arrive today. He just had to figure out how to get it, since he couldn’t leave Talia’s side for long. 

Lunch and dinner had been delivered yesterday by Alfred, leaving a cart with everything they needed just inside the door. He’d also included a selection of Talia’s favorite volumes of poetry, which Jay had been reading to her to pass the time.

Today, Selina stood inside the doors, her knuckles white where she gripped the cart’s handle, and her eyes fixed on Talia. The Alpha stood bristling at her, a growl rising and falling in her throat. “What the hell?” Jay asked tiredly.

“You can’t sit with her twenty-four-seven,” Selina said, still watching Talia warily. If she’d been her namesake, her tail would’ve been lashing nervously. “You need to sleep, _ really _ sleep, and you need to go get whatever medicine you mentioned the other day. So, the current theory is she might let another Omega sit with her for a while.”

“And you volunteered?” Jay asked, coming to stand at Talia’s side. He poked her bicep lightly. “Quit it, she’s all right.”

Talia cut him a glare, but fell silent, turning her threatening gaze back to Selina.

“Dick volunteered, but we all thought that was probably a bad idea. So did Steph, and I figured I can’t let those two shame me. I’m a little better than Steph at running for it, too, in case this goes sour.” Selina was still watching Talia worriedly.

“Well, come out from behind the cart then. Let’s see if she’ll let you in,” Jay said. It did make some sense – Talia was protective of _ all _ Omegas, not just her own. And Jay would need to leave for a little while. If he could trust someone else to watch over Talia, and make sure she wasn’t trying to pull her stitches out, he could go pick up the Lazarus tincture.

And sleep unbroken by Talia’s restlessness or his own worry for her sounded miraculous, right now.

Selina stepped away from the cart, and Talia mirrored her, as tautly focused as a tiger stalking a deer. The moment the potential weapon was out of reach, Talia closed the distance between them, grabbing the front of Selina’s blouse. “_Hey! _ Be nice,” Jay demanded.

Talia only grumbled, and leaned in close. Selina, wisely, didn’t fight against her grip, but she did try to lean away. Talia just moved closer, holding Selina in place by the grip on her blouse. Selina warned, “Do _ not _ bite me, I will smack you right in your presumptuous face.”

“She better not bite you,” Jay added, and Talia huffed at them both. She sniffed Selina’s throat for a long, tense moment, then released her, retreating to Jay’s side. Already she was moving more freely than yesterday.

Selina blinked. “Are we good, then?”

“Let’s find out,” Jay said, and took hold of the cart, guiding it into the sitting room. Talia preceded him, and Selina followed warily.

…

The instant Selina stepped over the threshold, Talia was right there in her space again – not growling, but blocking her from moving forward. Her eyes bored into Selina’s, and it was like locking gazes with a tigress. Selina had years of experience with all cats great and small, but the largest of them _ knew _ what they were, and some of them knew that humans were comparatively weak. She’d once rescued a tiger from a roadside zoo after he killed his abusive caretaker, and convincing that huge cat – who knew precisely how to use his teeth and claws, and trusted nothing on two legs – to get into a traveling crate had been one of Selina’s triumphs.

Talia had the same awareness of violent potential in her gaze, and words would be just as useless with her. Bruce had explained yesterday what he meant to accomplish in confronting her, and he’d gotten Cass to coach him in how to present non-threatening body language without submitting. Selina tried to do the same, forcing herself to relax, but part of her just couldn’t do it.

Her early years had not left her with much respect or trust in Alphas. Her refrain, as a dominatrix who specialized in bringing low the mighty and powerful, had been to growl, “I _ hate _ Alphas.” And for most of her life, she’d thought it true. Arrogant bastards, trying to rule the world with their scent and their command-voice. She’d showed them their place without any of those advantages, just a keen understanding of the human psyche, a quick hand with a bullwhip, and how delectable she looked in leather.

Batman had been the first Alpha she met who lived up to that old cliché about natural leaders. He _ was _ a leader, not just a boss, he was always in the front lines. Selina couldn’t help admiring his courage and determination – and when she realized there was deep compassion in his soul, too, she fell in love with Bruce Wayne as well as the Bat.

That didn’t mean she liked or trusted most other Alphas, but Talia had proven just how protective she was. She’d explicitly given Selina her blessing, too. She should be trustworthy enough - if only she’d stop acting like she was about to savage someone.

Selina tried to sidestep Talia, but the assassin matched her stride exactly, and let out a soft growl of warning. Frustrated, Selina said, “Look, I’m supposed to watch you. I can’t do that from outside.”

Jay took the cover off the food, and the delicious smell of french toast filled the room. “C’mon, T, let her in. It’d be a crime to let this get cold.”

Talia still hesitated, looking intently into Selina’s eyes. She’d been meeting that feral green gaze for long moments when she remembered that direct eye contact was supposed to be a challenge. Somehow it felt different with Talia, like it was the only form of communication that worked. Still, Selina made herself drop her gaze.

Something in Talia’s posture changed, but she didn’t back away. Jay said warningly, “I’m gonna eat all of it without you.”

Talia ignored him, moving closer to Selina; she held her ground, tense, even as the Alpha intruded on her personal space. And then Talia let out a sigh, stepping away. Selina might’ve been seeing things, but the expression in her gaze was just slightly friendlier as she turned to Jay.

“Come and eat,” Jay scolded, and Selina went to sit with them. Eating together was important, Babs had said when they first devised this plan. It showed that they were part of the same family, that they were kin, and that they could trust one another. It might settle Talia down enough to let Jay leave.

Selina updated him on how things were going as they ate. The Alphas in Arkham were showing improvement under the same treatment that had worked for Bruce, and some of them would be released soon. He asked about Harley and Ivy, and Selina had to report that they were locked up tightly. She kept her own bias out of it; her old friends were in deep trouble this time, but they’d brought it on themselves. At least Lucy had gotten home safely, and Jay sighed in relief when Selina told him that.

When the meal was done, she felt a little easier about the entire situation. Feral as she was, Talia still had table manners enough to eat with a knife and fork, savoring the sweet french toast. “How do we want to do this?” Selina asked Jay. “Wait for her to fall asleep, and then you can sneak out?”

“No, she’ll be pissed if we try to trick her,” he said. “It’s better to be honest. But I had a thought. She loves poetry. If you read to her, she might stay settled while I’m gone.”

Selina smiled a little at that. She’d wondered, when she first started visiting here, why Bruce’s library contained so much poetry. Eventually he’d told her, but she’d already started reading the volumes. It seemed silly to resent the words, and to deny herself the joy of reading them, just because Bruce’s ex had been the resident poetry fan. All she said aloud was, “Sounds like a plan.”

Jay went into the bedroom, and returned with a heavy volume bound in red leather. Selina took a seat on the couch, and opened it at random, looking for a verse that spoke to her.

Talia knew the book, and settled herself at the other end of the couch, looking on curiously. Jay put his hand on Talia’s shoulder, and said, “Stay here, I’m taking the cart back.”

She looked alarmed, but Selina took a deep breath and read, “Shall I tell you our secret? We are charming thieves who steal hearts, and never fail…” Talia watched Jay as he rolled the cart out of the room, and then looked back at Selina warily. She ignored the Alpha’s expression, and just read to her.

Jay was back in moments, and sat on the arm of the couch, running his fingers through Talia’s hair. Much to Selina’s surprise, she started purring under her breath, her eyes half-closing. When Selina got to the end of that poem, she looked up at Jay with a bemused expression. “She really _ is _ like a big cat.”

“Don’t scratch her under the chin, though. I don’t think your feline mojo will work on her,” he said lightly.

As if she’d risk that. Selina read through two more poems, watching Talia’s body language get more relaxed with every word. And then Jay spoke again. “All right, I’m going to go get the Lazarus tincture. It should only be like half an hour to get to the mailing point and back.”

Selina nodded, taking a deep breath. If all else failed, they could lock her in. Jay stood up, and when Talia tried to rise to follow him, he put his hand on her shoulder again. “Stay here. I’ll be back soon.”

She whined, a low sad sound, and Jay bent to kiss her hair. “You’re safe. Selina’s just watching out to make sure you don’t rip out your stitches. I’ll be back soon, T. Just stay here for a little while.”

Selina just kept reading, watching Talia from the corner of her eye. The Alpha watched Jay leave, and stared at the door after it closed behind him. Selina felt certain she was going to bolt for it at any moment, but eventually she just heaved a sigh and curled into the corner of the couch, regarding Selina with unhappy eyes. She paused in her reading to say, “Wow, do I ever feel like the least-favorite babysitter. He really will be back soon, Talia. I promise you’ll be okay.”

The little scoffing noise Talia made under her breath was so close to a normal, non-feral sound that Selina looked at her more closely, expecting to see sense returning. But no, those green eyes were still as wild as a tiger’s, fierce and fearless. It was just that, like a tamed tiger, she chose not to resort to violence. 

For now.


	101. Chapter 101

Jay drove faster than he should’ve, getting back to the Manor, but not quite fast enough to get a speeding ticket. The Lazarus tincture had come with detailed instructions and dire warnings in one of the League’s standard ciphers, and he wasn’t looking forward to using it. He’d also called Mehmet to update him and be updated in return.

That got him the disturbing news that there was a situation in the far East of Russia that needed attention. “The Siberian group is often troublesome,” Mehmet said. “They do not like to feel neglected. It’s about the time when the Demon would schedule a personal visit to keep them in line.”

“Well, shit, that’s not gonna happen,” Jay said. He remembered that group, hard men living in an especially hard part of the world. They took no excuses, and gave none either. He’d been fortunate to be in peak physical and mental condition when he trained with them. “And I’m sure they’ll be extra-pissy if they find out she’s out of commission just now.”

A pause, and Mehmet said, “They will not find out.”

“Sooner or later someone’s gonna leak it,” Jay said, thinking Mehmet had to have told the physicians, and whoever else was answering the phone. “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”

Another, weightier pause. “No one else _ knows _, to spread that information,” Mehmet finally said. “I took the liberty of rerouting all calls from your phone, hers, or the area code where you’re staying to my personal number, to contain the situation. Unless you’ve spoken with someone else since it happened, no one knows the decisions I’m passing on come from you, not her.”

“How the fuck are you managing to do that with a straight face?” Jay asked. Their people all had pretty good systems for detecting bullshit, and what Mehmet had done was ripe for abuse.

“It is simple enough to say, ‘The Demon commands it.’ _ You _ are the Demon, for now. You’ve made it manifestly clear that you do not intend to continue in that position after she recovers. Better for everyone if no one else realizes the temporary shift,” Mehmet said.

Jay understood the sense of that. If people realized _ he _ was calling the shots, they’d challenge him. And he didn’t have time to handle that right now. “You’re a good man, Mehmet. Thank you. I’ll make sure she knows you were looking out for our best interests once this over. Which, let’s fucking hope the Lazarus tincture works quickly, because I’m about done.”

“Understandably,” Mehmet told him. “And the Siberians?”

Jay sighed, trying to think what Talia would do. “Tell them the Demon is not a wet nurse, to come running as soon as a child whimpers. Her responsibilities span the globe. She will come to visit when her schedule permits, and she will enjoy spending time in the company of men worthy of the name.”

“That is roughly the same tone as her messages to them, with perhaps a little more flattery,” Mehmet said.

“Can you improvise the flattery? Because I just want to tell them to sit down and shut up,” Jay said with a short laugh.

“Gladly,” Mehmet said. “Have you any other orders?”

“Not now,” Jay said. “Unless there’s something else that needs my attention?”

“I have the complete report on the Golden Crescent trade she requested, ready to send to you,” Mehmet replied. “And Tiger King of Kandahar has left word that he will be in Egypt next month, if the Demon cares to arrange a meeting.”

Jay remembered the phone call he’d partly overheard, and gave a wry grin. “I’m sure she will. Let Tiger know we’ll be in touch once the situation in the States is resolved; that ought to be cagey enough without offending him. And send me the report. She wants me to know what’s going on there, anyway. Is it just the current situation, or the historical background?” 

“The current situation. I can append the background with about an hour’s work,” Mehmet said.

Jay sighed; for most of his life, he’d only ever looked at the heroin trade from one lens. Knowing the big picture wouldn’t make him hate it any less, but he didn’t want one more depressing fact of life in his face just now. Still, he needed to read up on it, especially if Talia would be meeting with Tiger later in the month. “Sure, do that,” he said, and signed off, thinking Mehmet deserved a promotion. It was pretty hard to find loyalty _ and _ initiative in their people.

He arrived back at the Manor and found it quiet. If Talia had decided to revolt, he would’ve expected a lot more activity, so the unaccustomed silence was a good sign. His first surprise came when Khairah approached him hopefully. “May I see her?” she asked.

Jay started to say _ no_, for her own safety, but Talia had made her peace with Bruce. And Khairah was her daughter. He changed course quickly. “Sure, but you can’t stay once I give her this. It’s going to make her more aggressive, at the very least.”

“It will help her heal, though, right?” Khairah asked hopefully.

“Oh yeah. A dose of this today, and the stitches can probably come out tomorrow,” Jay said. They hadn’t told Khairah much about the Lazarus Pits; she knew Talia had returned from death, but the exact mechanism was a closely-held secret. That was knowledge he didn’t want to burden Khairah with.

The two of them headed over to the west wing, joined by Alfred, and the quiet started to unnerve Jay. Despite the size of the house, he was used to hearing _ some _ activity. “Where is everyone?”

“At school,” Khairah said, sounding glum.

“And work, in the case of Master Grayson,” Alfred added. “Master Bruce is at a board meeting. One hopes he manages to stay awake through this one.”

Jay chuckled a little at that. Alfred unlocked the door to the west wing, and all three of them stepped in cautiously. “Wait here,” Jay told Khairah.

“I’m alive,” Selina called out, and Talia appeared in the doorway of their suite. The relief in her expression was far easier to read than she would normally allow; being feral had stripped away some of her habitual restraint. She strode toward Jay with a welcoming smile.

“Hey, babe,” Jay said softly, glad to see that she hadn’t gone berserk during his absence. Talia all but dove into his embrace, purring, pressing her cheek against his. He hugged her, noticing that the metallic scent of rut was starting to fade just a little. Maybe Doc Leslie was right, and she’d come out of this on her own.

Then she stiffened in his arms, seeing Alfred and Khairah waiting at the end of the hall. “Relax,” Jay told her, but Talia broke away from him, her head up and her eyes challenging. A low growl rumbled in her chest.

“It’s _ me_,” Khairah whispered, sounding heartbroken.

Alfred put his hand on her shoulder, angling to place himself between her and Talia if the older Alpha decided to attack. Jay caught Talia’s arm and told her insistently, “Stop that, you know your own kid.”

Selina had come to the door, and she said worriedly, “That might not have been the best idea…” 

Khairah looked up miserably, hunching her shoulders, and Talia stopped growling. She sniffed the air deeply, and then an expression of surprise crossed her face.

The next instant, she’d broken Jay’s grip and gone to her daughter. No one could mistake the look in her eyes for anything but relief and welcome. Khairah threw her arms around her sire, and Talia kissed her forehead, purring mightily.

“I stand corrected,” Selina said, and Jay smiled at the scene.


	102. Chapter 102

The next week went by in a blur for Jay. He made another trip, to move all their stuff from the hotel into the suite, so at least they had plenty of changes of clothes and their preferred brands of toothpaste and such. Then that evening, he convinced Talia to let him inject the Lazarus tincture into the vein in her forearm, which she did without flinching. The depth of her trust amazed him. The tincture made Talia’s eyes glow eerily green within moments, and he knew what to expect when he saw that. It didn’t make it any easier to watch her roaring and pacing in incoherent rage. At least he was able to keep her from destroying the suite. The outburst left her exhausted, and Jay was able to sleep a little once she finally passed out.

He held off giving her another dose the next day, and tried to call Mehmet after breakfast. Talia didn’t like him being on the phone, apparently, because he got about three words in before she came up behind him and snarled threateningly enough to startle a curse from Mehmet. So Steph and Khairah came in after lunch to sit with her, letting him take a few minutes to make the call. To Jay’s surprise, Talia let the young Omega in without even a growl. Then again, she had been protective of Steph practically from the moment they met. She wouldn’t allow anyone else in the suite while Doc Leslie examined her, though, and the stitches came out that day. 

Leslie also ran bloodwork, with confusing results. Talia was acting as if she was recovering from the feral state, but her hormone levels were still high. Given Talia’s mostly non-destructive behavior, Leslie told Jay she’d prefer to wait a few more days before beginning the feral treatment protocol. They could afford to let her be feral for a while longer, as long as she wasn’t a danger to herself or anyone else.

He couldn’t exactly argue with that. Talia was  _ almost _ herself. She didn’t speak, and Jay was pretty sure she didn’t understand every word he said. But her mannerisms were the same, and with Steph and Khairah, she carried herself like a regal patriarch, gracious as ever despite not saying a word. She watched over all of them with a kindly eye, and was calm for Leslie, too.

As a matter of fact, she was more demonstrative than ever. Jay knew how cuddly she could be, away from prying eyes. Now she curled up on the sofa with her chin on his shoulder as he read to her, a soft purr rumbling in her chest, and didn’t care who else saw her being so affectionate. When Khairah sat beside her, Talia tugged the girl close and ran her fingers through her hair lovingly. That flustered Khairah at first, being used to a more reserved and formal type of affection, but she appreciated the attention.

Talia’s affectionate gestures made it more hilarious when  _ Dick _ knocked at the door. She postured and grumbled, and Jay told him he was being an idiot, but Dick was as stubborn as any of them. And he was determined to win Talia over. He ended up spending three hours sitting on the floor in the hallway, but Talia finally stopped growling and went over to him.

Dick held his hand up to her as she glowered, and finally she took it, pulling him to his feet. With one more growl, she let him come in, and from then on he was able to bring them meals or news or just come talk to Jay. Which, frankly, Jay appreciated. They hadn’t had a chance to just sit and  _ talk _ , and even with Steph or Selina taking turns to watch over Talia, Jay didn’t like leaving her side for long.

Another dose of Lazarus tincture the next day set everything back to square one, when Talia even snarled at Khairah’s scent on Jay’s clothes. He had to take the offending shirt off and throw it out the door before she settled down even slightly. Jay wouldn’t have used the stuff, but by the next morning her incision was healed to a thin pink scar. Even Leslie was impressed.

The next day she was wary again, but calmed down fairly quickly once she recognized Selina’s scent. The thief curled up in the sitting room with a book while Jay got ready for a midday nap; he was finding the whole caretaker deal to be more exhausting than he ever would’ve dreamed. He  _ still _ hadn’t read over the report Mehmet had forwarded him, and knowing it was there - and would require a serious investment of time and brainpower - nagged at him. At least the others were helping as much as they could, and Alfred was brewing the herbal teas Talia’s physicians had sent at regular intervals.

By then, the days were blurring into each other, with Jay waking up in the night if Talia moved, and only truly sleeping when someone was around to watch the door. He had little chance to think of anything else but her, and when Leslie gave her the first dose of the treatment, Jay could only hope it worked as quickly as it had with Bruce. 

Bruce was apparently staying as far from the west wing as he could, and other than Talia grumbling at his scent on Selina or Dick, she seemed content to ignore him. Jay was fine with that. The rapprochement was still too new to overburden it with too much familiarity, and Jay didn’t want to deal with anyone second-guessing his decisions, either. He knew the cameras and microphones in the suite were still rolling, but he didn’t think anyone was watching closely. He only heard the intercom when someone was on their way up with food.

In a haze of exhaustion, Jay finally fell deeply asleep the night after Talia’s first treatment, with her in his arms and her sleepy purr following him into dreams.


	103. Chapter 103

Talia woke slowly, surrounded by the scent of cinnamon and honey. Warmth and spice and sweetness, and she purred contentedly with her nose full of her Omega’s scent. By the light in the room, it was early morning. There were other Omega scents around, nothing threatening, all individuals she knew. Selina’s mint and vanilla, Stephanie’s rosewater and petrichor, Richard’s lemon balm and cedar. And the fainter scents of Betas, barely discernible: a hint of bergamot for Alfred, a trace of lily for Dr. Tompkins. The other Betas in the house hadn’t been here in person, their particular odors too slight to detect on the clothing of the others. 

Talia could smell an Alpha, though she instantly recognized Khairah. Much like her own scent, with a note of myrrh that was all Khairah’s own. One whiff reassured her; Talia’s biggest concern had been Khairah’s safety, and Jay’s. Jay was right here beside her, and Khairah’s scent proved she was safe and healthy and somewhere nearby, too.

Talia herself felt … off. Tired and ill-used and strangely lax. Stretching, she decided it had been too many days since her last proper workout. Most of the odd sensation would go away after some exercise, she hoped. 

Jay didn’t get up when she nuzzled him, and Talia kissed his brow, deciding to let him sleep. She went into the bathroom to shower, and found something strange: a new scar down her abdomen. Talia scowled at it; the injury looked months old, and it was too perfectly straight to be anything but a surgical scar. She didn’t remember having surgery.

As a matter of fact, her recent memories were a red haze of rage, pain, and confusion. The last _ clear _ marker in her mind was Ivy administering that damned ‘cure’. Talia growled under her breath, thinking that she had a lot of catching up to do.

Jay still wasn’t awake when she came out of the shower, and she dressed in clothing she found in the bedroom closet. Her own, but she’d last seen them in her suitcase at the hotel. At some point they’d moved here, to the Manor. Then again, if she’d needed surgery, this was the only safe place to let her recuperate. 

Talia got another unpleasant surprise when she found the door to the suite locked. Well, she supposed she couldn’t blame them, if she’d been feral. She found Jay’s lockpicks and let herself out as he continued to sleep.

The gym in the Batcave was superior, but Talia knew there was one sufficient to her needs in the main house as well. She found the door from the west wing locked as well, and picked it in a matter of seconds, only to find Richard and Selina coming up the stairs. “Where do you think you’re going?” Selina asked in scolding tones.

“To the gym,” Talia replied, and both of them did comical double-takes. She just arched a brow at them. “Unless that is somehow off-limits?”

“Holy cow, that was _ fast_,” Richard said, sounding impressed.

Selina gave her a wry smile. “You’ve been out of it for a week. Forgive me if it’s a shock to hear your voice in something other than a snarl or a purr.”

“I don’t purr,” Talia said, despite having done so less than an hour ago.

Selina smirked. “Yes, you do. Like a little kitten. I was really tempted to give you catnip, just to see what would happen.”

“Don’t bait her,” Richard scolded, and Selina rolled her eyes. “Talia, it’s good to see you back to normal.”

“It is good to _ be _ back to normal,” she replied, wondering why her animosity toward him seemed to have evaporated. Then again, it was past time they put aside their old grudges. “Do you have any objection to me using the gym?”

“No, but … where’s Jay?” Richard asked.

“Asleep,” Talia told him, chagrined. “This must have been exhausting for him.”

“It has, but we all helped as much as we could. I’ll go get him up,” Richard said. “Selina, stick with her, just in case?”

“I’m sorry, when did I start taking orders from you?” the thief asked, her tone slightly sharp.

Before Richard could respond, Talia said, “I could use someone to spot the heavy bag for me. We can discuss why you think I purr, as well.”

Selina sighed, Richard wisely headed for the suite, and Talia walked toward the stairs wondering why there seemed to be friction between the two of them. It wasn’t her problem, they weren’t her Omegas, but it was her nature to notice conflict. Selina fell in beside her, saying, “I _ know _ that you purr because I’ve been babysitting you. All of us Omegas have, really. You wouldn’t let Jay make phone calls, and no one wanted to leave you alone. Nice to know you like me well enough, at least when I’m reading Rumi to you.”

“It’s not you, Cat, it’s the poetry,” Talia teased gently. “I would even tolerate Grayson if he read Rumi.”

“Actually, he had to sit on the floor for a couple hours before you finally gave up and let him in. I don’t think he got around to reading to you.” Selina’s tone held a little resentment, probably at Richard, Talia decided.

“And how is my daughter?” Talia asked, redirecting the conversation.

Selina chuckled. “Fitting in just fine. If you stick around long enough, Bruce will put her in a Batsuit. She got her ass handed to her by Cass a couple times down in the training room, but she holds up pretty well against everyone else.”

“I’m sure her mother would be delighted to hear that she is sparring against one of the finest martial artists on the planet,” Talia sighed. “I’m afraid Bruce will have to hold off. Khairah will _ not _ be joining the vigilantes of Gotham City.” For some reason, Selina just laughed under her breath. Talia chose not to pursue it at the moment. 

The gym had weights and cardio equipment, but Talia skipped those in favor of her preferred form of exercise. She didn’t intend to work up enough of a sweat to require another shower, but grabbed a towel anyway, and doffed her blouse to box in a sports bra and loose-fitting pants.

Selina went to the heavy bag to brace it, and her eyebrows went up as Talia approached, pulling her hair up. “That healed fast,” she commented, nodding toward the new scar.

“I generally do,” Talia said, and settled into an easy rhythm of blows. The slack feeling vanished as she threw punches, her muscles warming to the work.

“Some of it might be whatever top-secret stuff Jay had to go pick up,” Selina said, leaning against the bag to brace it. “No one felt the need to educate _ me _, but every time you had a dose of it, you’d backslide to being aggressive to everyone but him.”

“Lazarus tincture,” Talia realized aloud. “A dangerous gamble, if I was already feral. Lazarus fever causes intense paranoia, and an Alpha’s reaction to that is always violence.” She stepped back, switching to kicks.

Selina scowled. “No thanks. I mean, I’m glad it worked, and I’m sure it’s nice to be back on your feet in fighting trim only a week after major surgery, but I’ll pass on the violent paranoia.”

“Jason made the same choice I would have, if I were able to,” Talia remarked. Kickboxing took more energy, and she finished the series of simple kicks before adding, “I only wish I could remember why I needed surgery in the first place.”

The thief looked surprised. “You don’t remember?”

“My memories are … incomplete,” she admitted. A set of forearm strikes would finish this much-abbreviated workout; Talia needed to do some tai chi or yoga later, and perhaps lift some weights, but she felt better for getting a little exercise. 

Selina hesitated, but finally answered. “Harley’s daughter Lucy got the lure scent on her somehow, and when we all showed up, she went into the cellblock to hide. That drove the Alphas nuts, obviously. Some of them broke out; Roman was one of them. He must’ve gone for the girl. By the time we got there, Roman was dead, and you were protecting Lucy. He managed to stab you in the liver before you killed him.”

Talia froze as those sparse words called up memories. The black skull with eyes burning furiously, a roar of threat, Jay’s scent in her nose, a weeping child at her feet. What else could she have done? Fight, and kill, at whatever cost. She could not stand aside and let a child be harmed.

She stepped back, one hand going to her side as she remembered the sting of pain. Her own strike had landed true despite the shiv in her flank. 

“Talia? Are you all right?” Selina’s voice, hesitant, grounding her in the present as the Omega watched her worriedly.

“Flashbacks,” Talia said, and made herself relax. “So Roman Sionis is dead at my hand. I’m certain to hear a lecture from Bruce for that.”

Selina scoffed. “I doubt it. Roman’s a sick bastard, always has been. He caught Steph once, and tortured her. He tried to kill Jay back when he was first running as Red Hood. He’s killed a lot of people, in some really gruesome ways.”

“I did not mean to suggest that I regret doing it,” Talia said. “Had he lived anywhere but Gotham, Roman would have fallen years ago. The moment I became aware of him, really.”

The Cat gave her a thin smile. “My point is, Bruce would never condone it. But he’s not condemning you, either. You and I both know you would’ve killed him even if you were sane at the time. With you being feral, he never stood a chance in hell of walking out of there. I don’t know what Bruce thinks you would’ve done if you were in your right mind, or how he would’ve reacted. For him, you weren’t entirely responsible for your own actions at the time. And all he’s asked about since it happened was if you were okay. I think he cares more about you recovering, than he does about Roman being dead.”

“He will always care about the slain,” Talia said sadly. “But I suspect you’re right. In this case, he cares about the living more. Particularly the girl. How is she?”

“Home with her aunt, who’s been her mother in all but DNA since the day she was born,” Selina replied. “I haven’t kept up; I doubt Delia wants to see any of her sister’s friends.”

That gave Talia pause. “You would still name Harleen your friend, after all this?”

Selina sighed and ran a hand through her short dark hair. “Look … she and Pam both were about the best friends I had in the whole capes and masks crowd. I wish _ one _ of them had talked to me before going off on this. Maybe I could’ve talked them out of it.” 

“It is very difficult to talk down a furious, protective mother, as I’ve recently learned,” Talia pointed out.

Selina shrugged. “I can’t forgive them for doing this to Bruce, or you, or kidnapping your daughter, or everything they did to the other Alphas. The coach? I can excuse that, he got what he deserved. The rest … they both crossed a line, and I’m still mad as hell. It doesn’t mean that I can just turn off caring about them like it’s a light switch. Or that I’m happy about the rumors I’m hearing. It sounds like they might get judged sane for this, and that means the electric chair. Unless that nutjob Waller gets them both for the Suicide Squad.”

Talia went to get the towel, blotting away the light sweat that had sprung up during her workout. “You can see both sides of the equation,” she finally said. “You understand Harley’s fear and guilt and rage, but you cannot justify their actions.”

“I think for once in her life, Harley realizes she fucked up,” Selina said bleakly. “She put her _ daughter _ in danger, for revenge. And it was never really about Lucy; it was about Harley not wanting all the heinous shit that happened to her, to happen to her daughter. That’s the whole reason she gave her up, you know. Even when she couldn’t get free herself, she couldn’t let her daughter grow up with her abuser. On some level, she knew he’d treat the kid even worse. What Joker did to Harley over the years … I popped open the good champagne, when Jay put that twisted fucker down. It’s just a damn shame Harley figured out she was wrong _ after _ all this, and not before.”

Talia shrugged into her blouse, thinking. If only Harley had found the kind of serenity Hadiyah had … but then, Harley had been subjected to much more extensive and focused abuse. Not even a sanctuary city of Omegas might have saved her. And then another notion struck Talia. “She ought to understand her folly. If not for me, her daughter would have been ravaged. Likely killed.”

Selina gave a bitter laugh. “I’m sure the irony weighs pretty heavy. It’s all just such a _ waste_.”

That, Talia could agree with.


	104. Chapter 104

Jay woke up to a gentle hand shaking his shoulder, and Dick’s voice murmuring, “I’m sorry, Jay, you gotta get up. You’re missing breakfast.”

His confused mind tried to tell him for one minute that he’d be late for school if he didn’t hurry up, but the days of rushing through breakfast to grab his books and head to Brentwood Academy were _ long _ behind him. Jay sat up, rubbing his face, trying to anchor himself in place and time. 

Of course, once he did, a spike of panic ran through him. “Holy shit, where’s Talia?” he yelped, leaping out of bed.

“_Relax _, Jaybird. She’s okay. She let herself out of the suite this morning, and met me and Selina on the stairs, perfectly civil,” Dick told him.

Jay blinked owlishly. “She’s recovered already?”

“If politely asking to work out in the gym is any indication, then yes,” Dick said. “Selina stayed with her, just to make sure.”

Groaning, Jay flopped back down on the bed. “_Fuck_, that’s a relief. I was getting really goddamned tired of doing her job.”

Dick patted his shoulder, and for a moment the two of them just savored not having anything urgent to worry about. Jay knew he had to get up, though. If Talia was already up and around and heading to the gym, she’d expect a debrief on everything he’d done pretty soon. “I’m gonna kick her ass for me naming me her successor,” he said aloud as he sat up.

“And for stealing my car and running off right into danger,” Dick reminded him with a little smile.

Jay snorted in amusement. “That doesn’t mean you get ringside seats. We’re not gonna argue in front of an audience again, it gets too dramatic.”

“It’s fine. I think you’re both too glad to have made it through this to really yell, anyway,” Dick said.

“That sounded almost supportive,” Jay remarked.

Dick shrugged. “You know what, when Talia is stripped down to just her Alpha instincts, she only cares about protecting you, her daughter, and any Omega or child in the vicinity. I can’t hate that. Plus you two are kind of cute, when she’s not trying to pretend to be a stone-cold badass all the time.”

“Don’t tell her that, she’ll have a fit,” Jay laughed. “Let me take a shower, then we can head down and have breakfast.”

“Sure,” Dick said indulgently.

Jay didn’t rush through his shower, for once not having to worry about what Talia was doing while his attention was off her. He dressed, and headed downstairs with Dick, only to meet Talia and Selina both on their way to the kitchen.

The difference in Talia was immediately apparent: her eyes locked on his, but there was more behind them than just animal instincts. She smiled at the sight of him, and said in rueful tones, “I find I must beg your forgiveness, ya hayaati, for all I’ve put you through.”

“God_ damn_, it’s good to hear your voice,” Jay said, smiling back in sheer relief. Talia reached up and cupped his face, rising on tiptoe to kiss him, and never mind their audience. They didn’t _ do _ public displays of affection, but apparently that rule was on hold for the moment. Jay wrapped his arms around her waist and savored the kiss, and the scent of her, warm from the clean sweat of exertion. Talia ran a hand through his hair, drawing back only enough to nudge her nose against his. 

Only then did he say, with humor in his voice, “I owe you two ass-kickings, and Dick owes you one.”

“Two?” Talia asked, arching an eyebrow.

“One for running off on your own and getting yourself captured, and one for leaving _ me _ in charge of the fucking League of Assassins if anything happened to you,” Jay informed her.

“Who better to take command of such power, than the only one who does not desire to use it for himself?” Talia asked. “I will stand by that choice. For leaving in stealth and haste, though, you may chastise me for that all you like. I was a fool.”

“You stole my car and left it with _ Penguin_,” Dick said, but he chuckled. “He took the hotel manager’s car back for us, though.”

“Cobblepot is wise enough not to damage anything I left in his care. He knows he would answer to me,” Talia said.

“You two are cute,” Selina finally said. “But I’m hungry. You can stand in the hallway cuddling as long as you want, I’m going to get breakfast.”

“I am not _ cute_, Cat,” Talia scolded, but even in that her voice was gentle. Almost affectionate. Jay wondered if the week of being feral had left her feeling more trust in those who had spent time with her. Or maybe she was just too relieved to be back to normal to bother being reserved.

“I’m hungry, too,” he said, and Talia let him go with a sigh. They all headed toward the kitchen - only to be waylaid once more, this time by the smell of chlorine and the sound of adolescent laughter.

Jay hadn’t been keeping as close an eye on Khairah as he would’ve if they were at home. She had three teenagers close to her own age here, and plenty of reliable adult supervision. Now that he saw her, Steph, Cass, and Tim padding in the patio door barefooted, wrapped in towels, with dripping hair, he remembered hearing something about going swimming. He hadn’t paid any attention at the time, but something had changed about Khairah. She carried herself more confidently, grinning at something Cass had just said.

At least, until she saw her parents in the hallway. Khairah froze, staring. “Hey, kiddo,” Jay said. “Guess who’s back?”

“Sire?” Khairah questioned.

“Come _ here_, ya albi,” Talia said, stepping toward her with her hands outstretched.

“I’m all wet,” Khairah protested, but Talia clearly didn’t care. She pulled her daughter into a hug, and the girl threw her arms around her sire with a sigh of relief. “I’m so sorry I put you through all this,” Khairah murmured.

Talia drew back to look at her seriously. “No, my love, _ I _ am the one who is sorry. Leaving you alone just to spare myself awkward questions was unforgivable.”

“I can’t blame you for that,” Khairah replied.

“I blame myself for it. And for not bringing proper backup when I searched for you. I have been a very great fool, and only by luck did we all survive. I could never forgive myself if you had come to harm in my care.” Talia sighed, cupping Khairah’s cheek. “Nor would Hadiyah forgive me, and that is a conversation I dread.”

“Good thing we already called her,” Jay put in, and Talia looked at him in disbelief. He just shrugged. “The fact that you couldn’t come to the phone because you were recovering from surgery kinda helped mollify her - but I got a distinct impression this was our only freebie. If we let Khairah be endangered again, Hadiyah will be on the warpath.”

“As she should,” Talia said ruefully. All of them fell silent for a moment, thinking of what might have been.

“Go on and get changed, you heathens,” Dick finally said. “You’re gonna miss breakfast.”

“I never miss breakfast if there’s waffles on the menu,” Steph laughed, and the kids headed upstairs.


	105. Chapter 105

By the time they were all seated at the table, with plates set out for each of them, Jay knew Talia was up to something. She was being particularly warm and gracious and friendly to _ everyone_, and he couldn’t pass that off as just the side effects of having been feral for a week. He’d seen her manage groups of people many times over their career, and was surprised to see her put on that particular mask here, but figured he’d play along and wait for her to explain.

Alfred hadn’t even brought out the waffles when Dick started in on Selina about something that had happened the previous night. She glared at him, but before she could respond, Talia broke in. “Richard,” she said in the gently chiding tone Jay was used to hearing with highly valued operatives who’d uncharacteristically screwed up. “I’m sure she knew the risks as well as you do. It’s simply that, for Selina, the calculation of them came out differently. She values her independence highly. _ I _ know that from halfway across the world.”

“Yeah, but some of us value her life more than her independence,” Dick replied grumpily.

“It is _ her _life. You cannot live it for her,” Talia said, eminently reasonable. And then, to Selina, “He is not trying to shackle you. He speaks from love and concern.”

“He’s not my mother,” Selina grumbled. “This is just leftovers from running the show while Bruce was feral. Dick, you always get a control complex as bad as his.”

“It is not about control,” Talia said, looking at both of them seriously. “It is about care and protection. You do take risks for the thrill of them, Selina. So do you, Richard, you simply choose a different avenue of risk - or have you given up HALO jumping as a hobby?”

“HALO jumps are a calculated risk,” Dick argued.

“So was mine,” Selina said.

Talia looked expectantly at both of them, and Dick sighed. “Selina … you’re right, I can’t change you. Just _ please _ keep us all in the loop? If something goes wrong, I want you to have backup.”

“I don’t work with a partner,” Selina said, but when Talia raised an eyebrow, she relented a little. “Backup I can work with. Just don’t expect me to tell you _ everything_.”

“I’ll take what I can get,” Dick said.

Alfred had been serving throughout, and the bickering couldn’t survive the presence of golden, crisp waffles drenched in maple syrup. Jay dove into his, but noticed Talia asking after Khairah’s studies and sparring practice. Khairah looked chagrined as she answered, “Cass is … superlative. I’m calling it a victory if I can hold out for two minutes.”

“As well you should,” Talia replied. “There is no dishonor in admitting someone’s skills and training are superior to yours. Cassandra, of everyone in this household, you are the one I would not care to face on equal terms.”

Cass only shrugged. “Just one thing.”

Talia nodded thoughtfully. “It is, but it is not your only skill. Still a valuable one at which to excel. And you have a right to be proud of the progress you’ve made in other skills.”

Jay caught Babs watching with one eyebrow raised as Talia went on to pay compliments to Alfred’s cooking and Leslie’s treatment, and then to ask Tim about some project he was involved in, which actually got him talking animatedly for a few minutes. Babs saw him looking at her and cut him a skeptical look; Jay just shrugged one shoulder. He didn’t know what was up either.

She’d gotten around to asking Steph about her studies, and was coaxing her to talk as well, when Bruce arrived looking haggard. He stopped, taking in the scene, and Jay wondered what was going through his mind. Talia just looked up at him, and said, “Good morning, Bruce. Do join us. Morning meetings are a trial; you ought to reward yourself with breakfast for having survived it.”

“Good to see you back to normal,” he said, pulling up a chair. Selina and Tim scooted over to make room, and Alfred arrived with another plate of waffles.

“It is good to _ be _ back to normal,” Talia replied. “Thank you for letting me recuperate here. I know I’ve disrupted the running of your household, and I apologize for that.”

Thanks _ and _ an apology? Talia was normally sparing with both, and Jay just stared at her in disbelief. Bruce did too, for several seconds, before saying, “It was the best solution for everyone. And you haven’t been a burden.”

“No, but I have altered the balance here,” Talia said. “Speaking of which, do you still read Ottoman Turkish fluently? I have a book in my collection that may be of interest.”

“I’m rusty,” Bruce replied, looking curious.

“I will see if there is a French translation available, then. If there is not, I shall send you the original in hopes you will have time to peruse it. I must ask you to ignore the title, and seek the wisdom within. One mustn’t judge a book by its cover, after all.” Talia favored him with a smile at that.

“Now I’m curious as to the title of the book, and why you want me to read it,” Bruce said.

Talia replied, “I think you may find it useful, since you have a large household comprised of all designations. Most of the text is advice to an Alpha on how to understand and manage the needs of such a household, so as to reduce quarreling and strife among its members.”

Dick cut in then. “Sounds great, but what’s the title?”

She sighed. “It is purportedly written by Pargalı Ibrahim Pasha, Grand Vizier to Suleiman the First, but some scholars believe the knowledge it contains actually came from Hafsa Sultan, Suleiman’s mother and the first Valide Sultan, and from the Kapi Agha or Chief Eunuch of the time. They seem the more likely sources. The title roughly translates to, ‘A Treatise on the Management of the Harem for Harmonious Life’.”

Jay _ knew _ that would have an effect, and Selina was the first to retort, “We are _ not _ his harem.”

“You wound me, Selina, that you think I could be so ignorant as to imply you were,” Talia replied sharply. “However, cultures which traditionally practiced multiple marriage have a bit of an advantage in dealing with a large household. Also, Suleiman had seventeen women in his harem, not to mention the court eunuchs, as well as eight sons and two daughters. Only two of those women were consorts of record. The rest were relatives and servants - _ harem _ does not mean what Orientalist exotifying literature leads you to believe it does.”

“Objections aside, why exactly do you think I need to read it?” Bruce asked.

Talia sat back, and smiled. “Because I’ve been applying the principles since I woke up this morning, and breakfast is far more genial than it would otherwise be. Richard and Selina have been quarreling, and I’m afraid it’s my fault, through roundabout means. So I took it upon myself to solve it.”

Selina narrowed her eyes. “And why exactly do you think it’s _ your _ fault that _ he’s _ overprotective?”

“Because of the nature of Omega hierarchies,” Talia said. “According to the book, there are in effect three hierarchies in any large mixed household. The Sultan is of course first among Alphas, with his sons and some officials ranked behind him. Betas have their own hierarchy, which the author advises will be settled amongst themselves without the Alphas even realizing it, and the divisions are so fine as to be difficult to distinguish to those of us whose displays of dominance are more dramatic. Alfred is first here, obviously, but the rest have sorted it all out quietly. If your Betas are openly quarreling, you have problems of nearly unmanageable magnitude.” 

She continued, “Omegas, on the other hand, are prone to competition. They are not so direct about it as Alphas. Harem intrigue is to be avoided if possible - Suleiman himself appears to have been misled by it too often - and one should be alert to the first signs of it. An Omega seeking to establish dominance will do so by adopting a caretaker role towards the rest, no matter how unwanted this may be. Hence, Richard’s over-protectiveness. Now, before both of you leap at my throat - do you not always find yourselves arguing, when someone is about to come into heat? For that is the time when Omega hierarchies are most likely to change.”

Dick had opened his mouth to deny that, but closed it with a sour expression. “I’m _ always _ cranky before a heat. That’s part of going _ into _ heat.”

“Not always,” Jay said. “I’m usually more chill.”

“You are also the only Omega anywhere near me,” Talia pointed out. “If you were around other Omegas during pre-heat, you might find yourself more disagreeable toward them.”

“It doesn’t matter, because no one’s due to go into heat,” Selina said waspishly.

Talia sighed again. “And that, I’m afraid, is my fault. Stephanie, you’re how old?”

“Sixteen,” Steph said, looking bemused.

“Young enough that your heats are not yet stable. And being around an unsuppressed adult Alpha is enough to accelerate your cycle,” Talia said ruefully. “I know I said five weeks, before. You have between a week and ten days, now.”

“Aw, _ crap _,” Steph said.

Jay thought he was the only one who noticed Khairah, who’d followed all of this silently, suddenly looking intently at her plate.


	106. Chapter 106

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is late - I had a very busy Friday and Saturday. I'll be back on schedule to post Tuesday, though. Thank you for your patience!

Talia congratulated herself on making them all _ think_, rather than condemn the source of the knowledge outright. She also felt a certain smug satisfaction in having put them all to rights with nothing more than praise and attention. That Bruce tended to stint on such things, she had known for years. It was not in his nature to be effusive. He was not a cold man, nor a cruel one, but loss had hardened him, and he found kindness awkward whether he gave or received it.

Speaking of Bruce, he looked at her narrowly. “I wouldn’t think that a few days of playing nursemaid would shift her that far out of cycle.”

Talia only shrugged. “Perhaps it is simply the vagaries of adolescence. In any case, I am here, and I had the knowledge and the opportunity to reduce conflict. I would offer you the same knowledge; we will not be here for much longer. A day or two, perhaps.”

Khairah had been studying her plate, apparently embarrassed by the discussion, but she looked up now. “We’re leaving that soon?” she asked plaintively.

Giving her daughter a rueful smile, Talia said, “I’m afraid we must. I never intended to remain in the States beyond a week. Business elsewhere demands my attention. I am sorry, ya albi. I dislike tearing you away from newly-made friends so quickly, but we _ cannot _ be here through Stephanie’s heat.”

The girl bit her lip, and Talia felt a pang. Cassandra, Timothy, and Stephanie were all just a few years older than she was, and there were no adolescents in al-Hirz of similar age. Khairah had finally had a chance to establish friendships with her peers, and now she would have to leave them behind. They would visit again, at some point. Gotham would never be a comfortable city for Talia, but it had been Jay’s home. She could not deny him his family, if they would accept him as hers.

“I don’t like you leaving that quickly,” Dr. Tompkins said. “You’ve only _ just _ recovered from being feral, and I didn’t release Bruce from care willingly either.”

“I promise I shall not go rampaging across the city,” Talia replied with gentle humor. “Surely you understand why we cannot be here?”

“I was told your control was exemplary,” the doctor replied, arching a brow.

Talia recognized that for the challenge it was, and smiled. “Oh, it is. But the same treatise points out that an Omega in heat is liable to shake up the Alpha hierarchy as well. And I believe I have caused enough disruption here.”

“You think you’d end up fighting Bruce?” Dick asked, in tones that suggested he did not expect her to win.

“Nothing so gauche as that,” Talia demurred. “But consider … who took command of the conversation this morning? Who is holding court, so to speak, right now? You are not aware of it, but every one of you is seated such that you face slightly toward _ me_, not Bruce.”

They all paused to check their positions, and realized she was right. Bruce’s head came up, and he looked at her with a certain stony implacability in his gaze. Talia gave him her most charming smile. “I am well aware that you would not lightly surrender in your own house, Bruce. But taking command is as natural to me as breathing. And I would not cause strife between us. Not now, when we have finally made amends.”

Selina was glancing back and forth between them with a considering expression; Richard was frowning. Bruce, however, rallied. “You say that as if leadership doesn’t come naturally to me, as well. I _ let _ you set the tone this morning to see what you were up to. The same way I _ chose _ to kneel to you when you were feral and injured. Both were practical decisions.”

“Yet you still yielded. Even injured and half out of my mind, I highly doubt that I ever did,” Talia pointed out. Everyone’s expressions told her she’d been right. Gently, not wanting to anger him, keeping her tone confiding and her expression fond. “You are also back on suppressants, and I am not. Your people _ know _ you are Alpha, but that is intellect and memory. Their senses tell them, every breath, that I am. We never settled the question of dominance between us, in all these years. We always met as equals. I have no need to push for an answer to that.”

He looked at her skeptically. “You think you’re more dominant than I am?”

Talia held her tongue, just raised an eyebrow and looked at him wordlessly. The only word in that sentence she could disagree with was _ think_. 

Jay cleared his throat then. “This is maybe a good time to mention that the doctor in Gotham General thinks Talia might be what she called a ‘double Alpha’. We’d need to do gene sequencing to be sure, but T, your mom was a Beta, right?”

“She was,” Talia replied. “Father would not have an Omega about him, not even his lover.” His much-loved wife, Sora, back in his first lifetime, had been an Omega. Since her death, he’d never kept company with anyone of that designation. His partners had always been Betas. Even Talia’s own mother Melisandre, who somewhat resembled Sora according to the few details Ra’s had let slip, had been a Beta.

Jay nodded. “The doctor ran down genetics for me, but I guess Doc Leslie knows what I’m talking about, too. Right?”

Dr. Tompkins was frowning. “Homozygous Alphas are _ rare_, even rarer than Punnett square percentages would have you believe. Then again, gene sequencing isn’t done that often, so maybe they’re not as rare as we think. I’m not completely familiar with the current literature, but from what I’ve read, Talia would seem like a typical example.”

“Enlighten the rest of us?” Selina asked, and Dr. Tompkins explained the mechanism of inheritance. 

Talia listened, thoughtful. At last, she said, “It is surely possible. I know very little of my mother. She could well have been a carrier for the Alpha gene. And this would explain why I’ve met very few Alphas as dominant as I am. The fact remains, Bruce, I would rather leave before we find ourselves in competition. I prefer to consider you my equal, than feel compelled to test the fact.”

He scoffed under his breath. “If you insist. It’s better to handle this like civilized people.”

Of course he would not admit that she might be more dominant. If Jay was right, and Talia herself was doubly Alpha, she knew Bruce could not be so. His mother had been an Omega. She looked away so she wouldn’t be tempted to smile indulgently, and thus provoke further denials from him.

Her gaze rested on the other Alpha at the table: Khairah, whom she’d left out of her calculations. The girl was only fifteen, and junior Alphas nearly always yielded to their seniors. Particularly since she was of Talia’s bloodline; it would be to her advantage to back Talia in any contest, not to compete with her.

But that glance caught a strangely fraught expression on Khairah’s face, and she was ignoring the current conversation. Looking across the table … at Stephanie. Who was giving her a one-sided shrug and a small smile.

Suddenly a number of barely-noticed bits of information clicked into a solid picture for Talia, and she sat up sharply. “Oh. I see,” she said, restraining her first indignant impulse. They’d all been so very worried about her, it was no surprise no one had paid attention to the children.

Some of it showed in her voice, because Khairah looked at her with a too-innocent expression. Stephanie, at least, saw her face and just gave a wry look. Talia narrowed her gaze at both of them. “Of course. I’ve been foolish. I am not the only unsuppressed Alpha in this house - and I am not the one whose presence altered the course of your heat, Stephanie.” The blonde just sighed, and a further possibility occurred to Talia. “It wasn’t just my daughter’s _ presence_, was it?”

All the answer she needed was in Khairah’s sudden blush.


	107. Chapter 107

Jay wasn’t paying attention to the verbal fencing between Bruce and Talia over who was more dominant. He knew which one of them was _ his _ Alpha, and that was all that mattered. Instead, he’d been watching Khairah and Steph from the corner of his eye. The two girls were exchanging unhappy and resigned glances. He would’ve figured it out eventually, but Talia gave the whole thing away the moment she realized.

Khairah blushed, and Jay’s jaw dropped as Steph just shrugged. There’d been plenty of unsupervised time together, plenty of chances for those two to sneak off and make out like the teenagers they were. Jay knew Khairah wasn’t wholly innocent; he’d caught her with the maid, back home, but that hadn’t gone beyond kissing. Still, he thought she was a virgin, though a lot of Alphas didn’t remain so through their teens. Steph was more experienced, and Jay would’ve thought her dance card was too full to fool around with a younger Alpha. Apparently he was wrong, and Khairah had more game than he guessed. “Holy _ shit_, Steph, aren’t you already dating Tim and Cass both?!” he exclaimed.

She turned to him, already defensive. “Do _ not _ try to slut-shame me, Mr. Shacked Up With My Stepmom. Better men have tried and failed, ‘cause there’s no shame in my game.”

Khairah, meanwhile, was stammering to Talia, “It’s not what you think.” Selina and Dick both just rolled their eyes; Bruce looked shocked; Tim and Cass ignored all of them to polish off the last of their waffles, and Babs just sighed. Jay looked at her; she’d kept mum during all the questions of dominance, and Jay figured she’d been storing away information, and planning to get her hands on the book Talia mentioned. Knowledge was power, after all, and by that standard Babs was probably the most powerful person at the table.

Talia groaned and rested her head in her hands. “Hadiyah is going to _ murder _ me. We may as well return with a pike in hand for her to mount my skull upon.”

“Dude, _ chill_,” Steph said. “Don’t lay that guilt-trip on Khairah.”

Jay saw Talia cut her an absolutely venomous look, but then it collapsed into a weary expression. “Oh? So you plan to come with us and convert to Islam? Bringing Timothy and Cassandra with you, like as not?”

Steph looked rightfully flabbergasted at that, and Jay chipped Talia’s ankle lightly. “C’mon, T. She’s right, Khairah just had to deal with damn near losing you. She doesn’t need the drama.”

“And I’m sure she was thoroughly comforted in her grief,” Talia shot back, and _ that _ got Steph’s color up - with anger, not shame, Jay thought. Before she could say anything, Talia just rubbed a hand over her face. “Hadiyah will blame me, in any case.”

“How do you figure that?” Jay asked, more to keep her talking and _ not _ taking potshots at Steph or Khairah.

Talia managed to smile. “She’s a white, blue-eyed Gotham vigilante. That’s _ my _ type, isn’t it? Who would’ve guessed that was inherited.” 

“I doubt it is,” Babs said, finally breaking into the conversation. “None of these kids are precisely children; they all had to grow up faster than normal, just like all of us did. Young love happens, especially in high-pressure environments.”

“It isn’t _ love _I’m worried about,” Talia said. “Young lust is far more common. I hadn’t imagined when I came here that I’d need to worry about leaving a bastard of my bloodline in this city.”

“_Hey,_” Steph snapped, her eyes furious.

But it was Khairah who jutted her chin out. “I _ am _ a bastard of your bloodline.”

Talia turned to her, and for a moment their gazes locked, Khairah defiant, Talia stern. To Jay’s shock, Talia was the one who sighed and shook her head. “Not by my choosing, ya albi. And I would claim you openly if not for the fact that it would place a target on your back for every one of my enemies.”

“Real noble of you,” Steph said, and her voice was hard. “You need to back the hell up. This isn’t what you think it is, I’m not some predatory Omega pouncing on your kid, and I don’t give a damn even if you _ do _ think I’m white trash and not good enough for any child of yours.”

Talia held up one hand. “Hold, Stephanie. I never said any such thing - and have I ever, at any point, given you any reason to believe I think so poorly of you?”

“The whole ‘oh shit, not _ her_’ reaction is familiar,” Steph shot back.

“That was my parents,” Tim said mildly. “I don’t think Talia’s quite as much of a snob as they were.”

“You misunderstand me. Remember who _ my _ Omega is. The treasure of my heart is from the same side of town you are,” Talia told Steph. That gave her pause, and Jay smirked a little at ‘treasure of my heart’. Also at the whole situation, because of _ course _Khairah would fall head over heels in puppy love with Steph. Talia continued, “It is not that I doubt your quality, only that I know the heartbreak of loving someone who loves this city more than they could ever love me. I would not have my daughter learn those lessons so young.”

Steph looked mollified, but her gaze on Talia was still sharp. Jay saw his Alpha turn to her ex, and continue. “Bruce, you and I shall have _ words _ about why this young woman in your care is so quick to denigrate herself. She should know her worth better.”

“The last thing Stephanie needs is arrogance like yours,” Bruce said. “She already has too much heart for this work. If she believed she was invincible, she’d get herself killed.”

“That is no excuse for her to think _ you _ consider her a failure,” Talia retorted. “Were she not Omega, and about to come into heat, I would bring her with me. She might benefit from an Alpha who knows how to show appreciation.” 

Bruce’s brow furrowed, his expression thunderous. “You think you could take one of my people out of my city without my express permission?”

Talia smiled, her voice silky; Jay knew that tone was far more dangerous than any trace of anger in her voice. “You think you could stop me?”

“_Okay_, that’s enough,” Babs said sharply. “Ladies and gentlemen, behold: Alphas fighting without raising a hand. You both know you’re sniping at each other for exactly the reasons Talia laid out earlier, right? Oh look, you’re even fighting over the Omega who’s in pre-heat.”

Jay saw Selina take Bruce’s hand, and he took Talia’s, too. “You know, unless we want to give everybody indigestion, this is probably a good moment to apologize for all the misunderstandings and go back to square one. Which, Steph, Bruce just admitted your biggest problem is you care too much. That doesn’t sound like a failure to me.”

“She’s not a failure. She never was,” Dick said.

“Of course not,” Khairah said staunchly, on the basis of a week’s acquaintance.

“You wouldn’t wear that uniform if I didn’t believe in you,” Babs said to Steph.

Bruce and Talia were still looking coolly at one another - and she was still _ smiling_. Jay thought about kicking her in the ankle again, but held off. “Yes, this _ is _ a good time to correct misapprehensions,” Talia said in that same smooth tone. And then the Alpha harmonic ran through her voice as she added. “Tell the girl her worth, Bruce. You owe her that much, at least, if you find yourself unable to ‘Alpha up’ enough to apologize.”

“You do not command me,” Bruce said, with the same declarative ring, and for a moment the two Alphas faced each other down. Jay knew Talia was still recovering, and unarmed, but there was no surrender in her. There never had been.

And then Bruce sighed. “Never let it be said that I can’t admit when I’m wrong. Stephanie … she’s right. I haven’t treated you well. I tried to keep you _ away _ from vigilantism, because I know you’re the kind of person who will sacrifice herself for the cause. I didn’t want to see you get yourself killed. I made you doubt yourself so you’d hold back, because nothing else would convince you to be careful.”

Everyone turned to look at Steph then. She took a very deliberate sip of the milk she was drinking, never taking her eyes off Bruce, and set the glass down before answering. “Thanks for that. It’s a bit late, but I’ll take it. I’d already figured out you were being a dick because you’re overprotective. Problem is, when your heroes break your heart, just knowing why they did it doesn’t get you over it instantly.”

Bruce nodded to her, almost deferentially. And then Steph turned to Talia. “Speaking of dick moves, that was one. Calling him out in front of all of us? That’s just more Alpha domineering bullshit. I don’t appreciate it, whether it’s on my behalf or not.”

“Duly noted,” Talia said. “Please accept my apology for having interfered between you and Bruce, even though I meant to do that practically from the moment we met. And also, please understand that I am not accusing you of having seduced my daughter. Nor am I upset because of some imagined class difference. I did not bring Khairah to Gotham to have her fall disastrously in love with _ anyone_, as I did when I was scarcely older than the both of you. I cannot be prejudiced against Americans, even if you _ are _ the people who created that abomination known as _ chocolate hummus_.”

That was the right humorous tone to defuse the situation, and Jay couldn’t help laughing at the way Khairah wrinkled her nose in disgust. “They put _ chocolate _ in _ hummus_?” she asked, horrified. “_Why?_”

“Because we love putting our own twist on everyone else’s cuisine,” Jay said easily. “Now are we all gonna be civil to each other?”

“I’m afraid I must insist that you do so,” Alfred said, with a pointed look at Talia. She had the grace to look embarrassed, at that.


	108. Chapter 108

By way of apology to Alfred, Talia volunteered herself to take care of the dishes. A gesture of servitude ought to mollify Bruce as well … but to her shock, he seconded her, standing up and stacking the empty plates from his end of the table. Jay chuckled at them both. “Should I stand by with the sprayer?”

“We’ll be fine,” Bruce told him, and then raised an eyebrow at Talia. “Won’t we?”

“Alfred insists upon civility, and I will not gainsay him,” she replied.

That left the rest of the family to go their separate ways … but Jay caught Khairah’s elbow before she could slip out with the rest of the teens. “Oh no, kiddo,” he said. “You and I need to talk.”

She looked horrified by the prospect, and Talia thought of stepping in. Jay had shown himself to be proactive about discussing matters of love and sex with her before, though, and she decided to leave them to it. Honestly, her assumption that Hadiyah would be displeased was just that - an assumption, based on Hadiyah’s devout faith and celibacy. Islam frowned on premarital sex, but like many religions that did so, it tended to place the burden of that expectation upon Omegas instead of Alphas. And Talia herself, who had not married, was not in any position to condemn anyone on those grounds. Whether Hadiyah would do so remained to be seen - but she had established open-minded policies in al-Hirz. Perhaps it would not be so dramatic as Talia feared.

She collected the plates from her side of the table, and went into the kitchen, taking up the same station as before, ready to rinse each item after Bruce scrubbed them. He ran a sinkful of hot soapy water, and asked her, “What are you thinking?”

“Speculating on what Khairah’s mother would think of all this,” Talia admitted. 

Bruce paused, and said, “I have been wondering about who her mother is. Jay only said that it was a one-night situation. That … doesn’t sound like you.”

Talia took a deep breath, realizing that Grayson hadn’t passed on what she’d admitted to him on their way to the hotel. That drive felt like a lifetime ago, but it had only been a week. In a way, she wished Grayson had shared her secret; it would have spared her this painful moment. “It wasn’t my choice,” Talia said, her voice curt.

Bruce said nothing, washing the next plate and handing it to her to rinse. She stole a glance at him, and he seemed entirely focused on his task. It was unlike him not to seek further details, not to ask for a complete explanation … but perhaps he understood the depth of her reluctance, and chose not to pry.

His silence somehow made it easier for her to speak. Had he asked, she would refuse him. Instead, Talia found herself speaking very softly. “Bane thought himself a suitable heir to Father’s empire. He also thought I should be included in that bargain. Khairah’s mother Hadiyah was just an Omega in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

“That’s why you killed Bane,” Bruce said quietly.

“That, and what he did to you,” Talia replied. “He was a brute. I killed the vicious swine so he could never harm another.”

“Jay knows,” Bruce continued.

“Yes. From the first, between us. At the time, I still had flashbacks. Nightmares. He was instrumental in helping me deal with the trauma.” It was easier to speak in generalities, but Talia still noticed the tension in her own body, even now. Very few people knew about that chapter of her past. She preferred to keep it that way … but if anyone outside the central players deserved to know the truth, it was Bruce. And so far he had not condemned the murder.

“And Khairah? She knows?” Bruce asked, with a careful glance at Talia.

“To my sorrow, yes,” Talia said. “I never knew her mother survived that night, or I would have tried harder to find her. I stumbled across them both, and Khairah’s first act was to attack me in defense of her city. We have come a long way in just a few months.”

“She knows you better, now,” Brue replied.

“They both do. Hadiyah founded a sanctuary city for Omegas, to save others like herself,” Talia told him.

“And she sent Khairah with you, because the girl’s an Alpha and a city full of Omegas is no place for her,” Bruce concluded.

Talia nodded. “Correct. If I’d been in my right mind, I would have cautioned Khairah against falling in love here - but I would not have stayed this long, if I hadn’t been injured. I suppose it cannot be helped, now. The more you try to speak sense to young lovers, the more determined they are to prove you wrong - as you and I both remember.”

“Everyone loves Stephanie. That’s part of why I worry for her. They turn to her like plants following the sun across the sky. If Tim and Cass aren’t upset about this - and they wouldn’t keep silent if they were - I’m not getting involved,” Bruce replied. And then he looked at her with a rueful smile. “You try to spare them pain, but they don’t see it that way.”

“I have no idea what Hadiyah will think of this, and I’m not going to be the one to tell her,” Talia said. “If Khairah thinks herself old enough to indulge in romantic entanglements,  _ she _ can be the one to explain it to her mother.”

Bruce chuckled a little at that. “You’ve gotten the hang of parenting, I see.”

“I had to learn quickly to stay ahead of Khairah. She is as intelligent and as stubborn as I was, at that age,” Talia replied.

Bruce had met her at nineteen, and his expression showed he remembered well. After a reflecting pause, he chose a different conversational tack. “Were you serious? About bringing Steph with you?”

Talia exhaled through her nose in annoyance. “The thought had occurred. She mentioned wanting to learn to masquerade as Alpha, as Jay does. He seems fond of her despite short acquaintance; they share a similar background. This with Khairah complicates the issue. Regardless, I would not steal her away from you.”

“Glad to hear you say it,” Bruce replied. “We might arrange a visit at some point. Steph traveled with Dr. Tompkins, and Cass has worked outside the States before. I know Dick is curious about this sanctuary city.”

“You and yours are welcome in my home, Bruce,” Talia said, with enough genuine warmth that he looked up in some surprise. “I  _ have _ missed you. It cannot be what it was, but I always did enjoy your company. And I’d like to see the rest of them, as well. Even Richard.”

“I’d always hoped you and Dick would find a way to get along,” he replied. 

The breakfast dishes were done by then, washed and rinsed and dried, and Bruce put them away, as he knew where everything belonged better than Talia did. She remained in the kitchen, watching him with eyes unclouded by the fear of condemnation. The topic of dominance had not come up - but they had worked together, side by side, without rancor. Talia felt no need to put him in his place, as she often did with other Alphas. Bruce evidently felt the same. Without an Omega in pre-heat between them, there was no cause for strife.

Bruce turned away from putting up the last plate, and regarded her thoughtfully. “May I ask you something?”

“You just did,” she pointed out, thinking she’d been wrong, and he was about to ask if she  _ really _ thought she was more dominant than he was. To which she would politely refuse to answer.

Bruce huffed a little, and asked something so far off topic that Talia could only stare. “Am I the reason you haven’t married Jay?”


End file.
